Number Days Oneshots
by PrinceKat
Summary: One chapter for each route, because I love all the Pacthesis games. POV changes (almost) every chapter.
1. Prologue

**You're not supposed to know the name of the character you are, because it actually changes during each oneshot. (Except for two, because my friend is a huge nerd and cannot decide)**

* * *

"Wait... wait wait wait." Mel stopped walking, and started patting his pockets. He turned around in circles, freaking out.

"What's wrong?"

"What'd 'ya do, shit face?"

"Shit...I think I dropped my wallet at the entrance." You laugh at him, good-naturedly.

"No problem, I'll go get it. It's only been a few minutes, so it should still be there."

"Oh god, thanks! I have our photo booth pictures in there!" Mel sighed in relief.

"No problem, I'll be just a second." You turn around, and casually jog back towards the entrance. You look around, and just like he said, Mel's wallet was lying right underneath the huge fountain. It probably fell there when the six of you were throwing pennies into it, even though the park staff kept telling you not to do that. You let out a small laugh at the memory, and pick up the wallet.

A blinding white light flashes across your eyes, and you cover them, swearing quite a bit. "Stupid staff members... I'M JUST PICKING UP MY GOD DAMNED WALLET!"

You turn around to yell at any staff members that are surely coming to scold you, but you don't expect what you see.

You see nothing... well, no PEOPLE, to be specific. The park is still here, but it's encased in some kind of glass dome...?

"...What the? Is this a joke?" You go up to the glass, and knock your fist against it, testing to see if it's real.

It is.

"Oh shit, is this going to turn into some horror-esque flick where the park rides and mascots all come to life and viciously murder me, ripping my body apart piece by piece!?" You shudder at your own pessimistic thoughts, and notice that your phone is somehow ringing. If only you didn't have that creepy satanic laugh ringtone that your friends somehow convinced you was a great thing; this is the worst possible timing.

"FUCK-!" You juggle your phone back and forth, and somehow manage to stop yourself from dropping it, which, with your luck, would surely have shattered it. You look at your screen, and see that it's a text message. That's extra odd, because your phone is saying that it has no signal.

You read the message, and chills go down your back.

_**Your time here will end when your number reaches zero.**_

Your phone vibrates, and then a 12 shows up on your screen.


	2. Thane

"...What the... you're number's much lower than mine." It's then that I noticed that there was somebody standing RIGHT next to me, leaning in extremely too close for comfort.

"Eep!" My face heats up, and I almost fall backwards in surprise, but this space-invading stranger was, at the very least, nice enough to grab my arm before I fell.

"Chill... no, seriously, you need to calm down. I'm Thane." I take a closer look at him; he's rather tall (or, at least, taller than me), his hair is a deep blonde, tan, and he's wearing _glasses_ and _a striped shirt_. I have a secret thing for glasses-guys, and stripes are my favorite pattern. All in all, he's pretty good looking.

He coughed slightly, and I was suddenly reminded that I was practically gawking at him, not even engaging in the simplest of formal exchanges.

"O-Oh, I'm Jade." I pause, "Are you... stuck here too?"

"Yep." Thane's tone was rather nonchalant.

"Have you been here long?"

"I think it's only been a few hours."

"Really? I just got here."

"I kind of figured, I could hear you shouting. Why were you even yelling in the first place?"

"Oh... Well, I came here with my friends for opening day, and we were leaving. My friend dropped his wallet, so I came back to get it... and now I'm here. What about you...?"

"I was working in the arcade, just about to leave because my shift ended... and then everybody disappeared." He stared at me, and continued speaking, "...It's kind of nice to be talking to someone right now."

"Yeah... Do you think we're the only people here?" Thane shook his head.

"No, I ran into this other guy, but he just shouted obscenities at me and ran." Thane looked at the glass dome, "I went all the way around the whole park, and it's all encased in this glass. He's probably still around here somewhere."

"Maybe he was just freaking out? He can come find us when he's calmed down, I suppose." I smile.

"Yeah, maybe... Anyway, I saw the number on his phone; it was 22. Yours is 12, ten less than his... but both are lower than mine. I wonder what decides the value of these numbers. Do they change? What even are these?" I have to force myself not to laugh at how serious his rant is; I've never been too good with listening to my friend's long rants about various weird things that she takes way too seriously.

"We can figure that out later, we've got time." Thane sighed.

"You know, you're right. You sound kind of tired, you can go on ahead to the café. I'll meet up with you in a bit." He turned to go, but I, in my moment of cliché shoujo manga situations, grab onto his shirt, preventing him from leaving.

"U-uh, I'll go with you." He turned around, and stared at me blankly.

"...Are you scared of being alone?"

"W-well..."

"It'll be okay. I'm not going to disappear on you."

"I wasn't worried about that... Just let me come with you." The horror-esque movie plot came back to my head, and if it actually happened, we'd have a better chance in numbers.

Thane sighed again, and put his head in his hands. "Oh, geez... This is going to be awkward..."

"What? How?"

"...Actually, I need to go to the restroom..." My face reheats, and I take a small step back, covering my face with my hands in embarrassment.

"O-oh!"

"Well, you made me say it."

"I-I'm sorry...! I-I'll go wait at the café.." I turn and run right into the fountain, splashing a whole bunch of water on my hoodie. This is even more embarrassing, because he's _right there_, and he just SAW me do the worst thing I could have done in that moment! I take off in the direction of the café, ignoring his attempts to ask if I'm okay.

* * *

I walk into the café, and the little bell chimes. I was pleasantly surprised to see two more people in there; both turned to me as I entered.

One of them was extremely tall (how do guys get that tall?), male, had brown hair, green eyes, and a rather nerdy sweater vest. The other one was actually a girl. She had short blonde hair (which reminded me of Kat, I hope this girl isn't an asshole like her), blue eyes, and a huge magenta hat.

The guy smiled widely at me, "Hi! My name's Bryce. What's yours?"

"I'm Jade."

"It's nice to meet you, Jade. I guess you're stuck in here too? The situation's not too favorable, but it's a good thing you're here. The more the merrier!" His cheeriness momentarily stunned me, rendering me silent. My eyes slowly moved over towards the girl, who was just quietly watching us.

"So... who's this?"

Bryce shrugged, "I don't know, she's been here since I arrived, but she won't talk to me. I hope I didn't do something wrong..."

"I could try to talk to her, maybe she'll talk to another girl." I approach her in the booth by the counter, but I get instantly shy and shit.

"Uh, um... hi." No response. She's not even looking in my direction.

"What's your name?" Again, no response. But thing time, I stand there silently, staring at her. This always worked on Kat; when she tries to ignore you, all you have to do is stare at her for a little, and she'll get super uncomfortable, and start talking nonstop, even if it's just to tell you you're 'creeping her the fuck out, stop that shit'.

The girl tugs her hat down, and looks down at her feet. "...Lena."

This catches me by surprise, and I look at her, thinking that I imagined it. "What?"

"My name."

"O-oh, I'm Jade. Nice to meet you, Lena." Lena nodded, and turned back to the window, refusing to speak anymore. I go back over to Bryce.

"She stopped talking."

"Well, you did loads better than me. She actually acknowledged your existence, and even talked to you." He sighed, but then smiled again. "Man, it's been an exciting day. I'm going to sleep super good tonight!" I raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"How are you so calm in a situation like this?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, "Actually, I was freaking out earlier, but now I'm not alone, so I can relax. It's better to cope with other people in the same situation than by yourself. We can get through this, right?" Another large smile. Wow, what a friendly guy.

"Y-yeah," I paused, and then repeated with more confidence, "Yes, we will."

Bryce was about to say something else, but then we could hear somebody yelling.

"LEAVE ME ALONE ALREADY!"

"Why won't you listen to me?!" Although it was an angrier tone of voice, I could identify that as Thane. He probably found that guy he mentioned earlier. Damn, he sounds angry.

The two of them crash through the door, almost taking it off the hinges. The boy that Thane had been chasing had brown hair like me, a rather nice green jacket, and... gray eyes? It's a wonder this boy isn't blind (he was able to navigate the park, so it's probably safe to assume that he can see).

"I don't need your damn help!" He seethed. What a charmer. Thane ignored him, and noticed me standing off to the side, watching. He pushes up with glasses with his pointer finger, and talked to me casually.

"Oh, Jade. You feeling better?"

"Oh, uhm, yeah... What are you doing?"

"I was chasing this nincompoop." Thane pointed towards the angry unknown guy, who got even angrier after that comment.

"Who's a nincompoop?!"

Again, Thane ignores him, and notices Bryce standing behind me, still smiling (again; what a guy). "Who's the sweater vest?"

I step aside, and gestured to Bryce, "This is Bryce."

Bryce waved a hand, still(!) grinning, "Yo!"

"So... who's this guy?" The three of us turn towards Mr. Anger Issues.

Thane shrugged, "Beats me."

It seems that Mr. Anger Issues finally realized that there were more people in the room, because he flipped his shit. "Who are you people?!"

Bryce suddenly looked so pumped, "Name listing, go!"

It took us by surprise, but Thane responded super seriously. "Thane!"

This mood was so infectious, "Jade!"

"...Lena..." We momentarily turn our attention to Lena, who has been sitting in the booth this entire time, but she just sits there, hat tugged over her eyes.

We turn back to Mr. Anger Issues, who shouts his name just like the rest of us, but he sounds angry. "Spencer!"

Even though I already introduced him, Bryce still shouts out, "Bob!"

We stand there in silence for just a quick second, but then I find my voice. "That's not your name!"

He started laughing, and I then started to wonder if there was something wrong with him.

. . . .

"So, we all got the same creepy message, and all of our phones display a number instead of the time now." Everyone looked at their phones in unison, and murmured in agreement.

Bryce listed off our numbers, "Thane's number is 29, Jade's is 12, Spencer's is 22, Lena's is 20, and mine is 17. Excluding Jade, we're pretty closely knitted together number-wise."

"Why is my number the highest...?" Thane voiced his inner thoughts.

"Why is my number the lowest..." I grumble.

Spencer completely breaks the tension by yawning, "Sheesh, why am I so tired? It's still light out..."

"I'm still kind of tired too." Thane looked at me out of the corner of his eyes.

"Maybe you guys are sick or something. I worked all day long, and I still have a bunch of energy."

"You must be a damn alien." Spencer frowned as he looked at his screen, "Shit, hold on, my phone's dying." He went over to a conveniently placed outlet, and plugged his phone in, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited.

"I feel fine too." Bryce hummed. Lena stayed silent (if only Kat could meet her, she might learn how to shut up).

The tapping of Spencer's foot stopped. "I just realized something odd...Our numbers add up to 100."

Thane looked momentarily surprised (I think he was just surprised that Spencer said something intelligent), but agreed. "Yes, but does it mean anything?"

"Of course it does. It has to!" Spencer looked really overconfident, so Thane just had to burst his bubble.

"You can't just assume something like that." Spencer seemed to be hurt (?) by that, but he just brushed it off; by getting angry.

"I don't care what you think!" Bryce could apparently sense the tension, because he started playing the peacemaker.

"Hey, hey. Let's calm down. We should go find a place to sleep at, and we can continue thinking about this tomorrow." Spencer looked confused.

"Why would I go sleep right now? There's still daylight outside."

Now Bryce (as well as everyone else) was confused, "...But didn't you say that you were tired?"

Spencer knitted his eyebrows, seeming to remember that he did, in fact, say that. "...OH!" He turned to his phone, which was now alerting everyone that it was fully charged. Damn, that was quick.

He and Thane seem to have some sort of psychic connection, because Thane sounded just as surprised as Spencer. "Really?! Are you serious?!"

"That's way too freaky!" Finally, I decided to take this chance to voice my stupid confusion.

"What are you guys talking about?!" I wanted to yell 'SPEAK ENGLISH', but that's something that Kat would yell (amongst some other things), so I didn't.

Spencer turned to me, and held out his hand. "Jade, let me see your phone real quick."

I have not had very good experiences with things that start with 'let me see (insert expensive object here)', but I decided to just go with it; I'm stuck in an amusement park, what's the worst that can happen (besides a fucking fight to the death- which I hope doesn't happen. These guys seem like good people).

"Sure." I lightly toss it to him, and he catches it easily. He changes my phone for his (apparently we have the same type of phone charger), and turns back to me. We all stand there in a short burst of quietness, but then Spencer decides to break it. Sheesh, can he not stand silence? That's two people who are Kat-like. I don't like this.

"...Well?" A weird tickling sensation creeps over my body, and I shiver slightly.

"I feel kind of weird." He nodded his head, seeming to be pleased by this.

"What about your energy? Do you feel less tired?" I stare at my feet, going over all my mental checklists. Tiredness is not checked.

"..Oh my god!"

Thane sighed, "Alright, so the battery life of our phones correlate with our own energy."

"That's so scary... It's a good thing my phone didn't fall in the fountain earlier." It was then that I remembered that my jacket was soaking wet. I took it off, and let it fall to the ground with a loud, wet _plop_. Now my black-and-white striped shirt was visible to everyone, as well as my AMERICA shorts.

Thane picked up my hoodie, and set it on the counter, "Uh, yeah. We should probably be more careful with our phones... and that means not taking any trips into the fountain."

"Wow, no shit." Return of the Mr. Anger Issues. I attempt to derail the argument that I assume is coming eventually.

"Well, it's a good thing I kept my phone charger in my bag."

"Yeah, but I'm out of luck, I didn't think I'd get trapped in an amusement park today, so I didn't grab mine." Bryce sighed for the first time since the moment I met him (although it was only around ten minutes ago).

"Well, they sell them at the cinema." Thane offered. I wonder why they sell cell phone chargers, when they don't ALLOW cell phones in the theater!

Apparently, Bryce is just as surprised as I am (but happier, of course), "R-Really?! That's rather fortunate."

"Yeah, but you might want to have the correct amount of money for it. I tried stealing some popcorn from there earlier, but the doors kept me locked in until I put money on the counter." That's... odd, but I guess that when you're suddenly stranded, you probably try to get food supplies first thing.

"What the hell's wrong with this place?" Spencer grumbled, "Let's just focus on trying to find a way out of here. We don't seem to have anything to worry about other than making sure our numbers don't drop to zero."

Everyone agreed, and split up.

* * *

I spent the next couple of days just wandering around without a destination. Today, as I was nearing the arcade, I took a quick look at my phone, and then promptly did a double-take.

Somehow, my number had already dropped down to one! How the HELL did that happen?! I haven't even done anything!

I was mumbling to myself, when I bumped right into somebody: Thane. I quickly, but indiscreetly, hid my phone in my pants pocket (my hoodie was still drying).

"Uh, hi Thane. What are you doing?" Thane sighed.

"I was checking to see if this place still held my clothes, because I find this uniform kind of lame. It didn't, though. I'm almost desperate enough to go buy a t-shirt from the gift shop."

"Really? I think it looks good on you. I really like stripes." Thane fidgeted, but I think it was the heat getting to him. He's wearing two shirts! (Another thing I love: _layers_)

Thane coughed, "...You're... weird."

"Well, I'm not as bad as others, I hope?" Lena and Spencer came to mind.

"...I suppose." Thane suddenly shifted gears, "I really don't see what's so great about these roller coasters and rides, other than keeping these parks in business."

"Well, it's more about the thrill!"

"See, that's just it. I don't understand how people can feel that 'thrill', but maybe it's just me." I almost want to tell him that two of my friends have that same problem; but that's no fun.

I yawn, and notice that my phone is only one bar away from dying. Also, my number went up to eleven(?), which was great and all, but I wonder how that works.

"I'll see you later, Thane. My phone needs to charge." I wave at him as I walk inside the arcade. As my phone charges, I decided to play around with the arcade games. The prizes looked pretty cool when I was here earlier, but it was packed, so I wasn't able to play. What a shame, if only I had the (brainless) courage Kat has. She just shoved everyone out of her way, and used Mel as a shield against unhappy gamers (that didn't do much, I must admit. She only bought enough time to play the games, but not get her prizes).

I bought a super pack, which had fifty tokens. Not too shabby. After some deciding, I cross out playing pinball. I'm fucking terrible at it. It's a mix between the claw machine, and the shooter game, but I decide to choose the claw game just once, to see if I have a knack for it. I fucking messed up the timing, and only got one Pacthesis coin; five tickets.

After that, I choose the shooter game, which, in retrospect, I should have done first, since I'm pretty good at those survivor-horror games, which primarily consist of shooting. I only managed to shoot one coin the first time, but when I play another round, I shoot all of them and get fifty tickets. I look at the prizes, and see that at the moment all I could get were either a 'Cashy' plush doll (the hell is a Cashy?), or a dog tag chain. The doll gives me a weird feeling, so I choose the dog chain instead. It's pretty nifty; they even have a section of the shelves devoted _just_ for the various names people could have. I get the 'Jade' one, stuff it in my bag, and walk out.

By now, it's dark outside, and kind of cold. It's probably not helped by the fact that I am wearing just a t-shirt and shorts (maybe I should go see if my hoodie's dry? It's been a couple of days, after all). I decide to walk over and check it out, but I run into Thane by the pool, distracting me from the task I was doing.

"Hey, Thane!" I greeted him, and saw him twitch. Maybe he was in the middle of thinking of some way to get out of here? Man, I feel pretty bad now. "Uh, if I'm disturbing you, I could leave..."

"No, it's fine. It's actually thing that you came by, I was getting rather bored. I mean, I know this is an amusement park, and that people are supposed to go on the rides and stuff, but why aren't there at least a few magazines lying around for people to read? What about workers that get bored? Or teens that get trapped in the park?"

I laugh, "Well, if we get bored enough, we could all have a chair fight at the café?"

Thane sighed (he sighs a lot), "Is it bad that I can actually see us resorting to that...? We need to get out of here."

"Well, at least if we did, Bryce would be the main target? He's pretty tall, and kind of stands out." Thane frowned, and spoke in a strange voice.

"...You're kind of...different. The girls I know are constantly complaining and talking about things that don't even really matter."

"Wow, they sound super rude." I cross my arms, annoyed by just merely thinking about them.

"Yeah, it was almost so bad that I believed for a long time that all girls were as annoying as them." I raise an eyebrow, perplexed.

"How long ago did you realize that was wrong?" Thane didn't respond, and looked away, changing the subject. Wow, suspicious?

"W-Well, my favorite mascot here is Coffee-kun." Kind of random, but I guess I could just go along with it.

"Yeah, it's a shame they don't serve coffee here." This seemed to set Thane off, but he got kind of grumpy (but not as grumpy as Mr. Anger Issues).

"Geez, isn't that the most ironic thing you've ever seen? The café theme is all about coffee, but they don't serve it! There is no coffee anywhere in this park!... But, I guess that's not a big deal since we don't even need sleep anymore, since now we only have to charge our phones to gain energy. It's pretty nice, and only takes a small amount of time to charge, rather than hours of sleeping."

"We're not robots, y'know."

"Right... I guess I do miss dreaming. It's pretty important for our brains to take a break. Though, I did daydream while I was standing here before you got here."

My curiosity levels were now peaking, "What was it about?"

"Well, it was RPG-style, and we were all on a journey. Bryce was a wizard, Lena was a Cleric, and Spencer was just a villager that tried to help out, but he kept messing things up." I couldn't help but give a little laugh at that (I tried to hide it, but I think he noticed anyway, because he smirked).

But... "What about me?"

"You were a warrior. Pretty strong too, actually. You led the group all the way to a crystal castle, but then I heard you coming."

"That sounds really cool!" Then, I noticed that he didn't say what he was. Was it embarrassing? "What were you?"

Thane looks away again, "I didn't get to see myself, it was in first person."

"Oh... Well, I think you'd have been a thief, since you **did** try to steal some popcorn." I laughed again, but stopped when I heard my phone alert me that it was dying, and looked at Thane, "Shoot, hold on. I'll be right back."

I ran to the café, and plugged my phone in with the other charger that I remembered that Kat had given to me to hold for her (something about her not wanting to hold it; that lazy bastard). It was way faster than mine, which makes sense, since she tends to be impatient; it only took five minutes. I cheered quietly to myself when it finished, and ran back over to the pool, where Thane was waiting.

He raised an eyebrow at me, "Why didn't you grab your hoodie? Aren't you cold?"

Shit! I knew I was missing something. That was even the main reason I came over here in the first place! "W-well, this place has nice weather, right? If I keep my body temperature lower, the summer heat won't bother me as much."

Thane looked up at the stars, "Yeah, I should've brought a hat to keep the sun out of my eyes during my breaks. Would have been pretty handy. It's especially annoying when you have non-tinted glasses."

"Hey, don't complain about nice weather! It's better than rain, right?"

"I can't help it, I'm probably slowly losing my mind from being here. But you're right; we'd actually have to stay inside if it rained, since they don't sell umbrellas here, and staying in a place with Spencer for a prolonged period of time doesn't sound too appealing."

I imagined the two of them getting into a fight while Bryce and I play cards (I kept them in my bag, just so we could throw them at people from the roller coaster. It was hilarious), maybe Lena would play too(?), or just watch. I laugh at the thought.

"How are you still in a good mood?" I look at Thane, who's watching me in some kind of amazement.

"Well, I guess that it could be worse. When I got here, I thought it was going to be like in the horror movies, y'know? All that fighting to the death, killer rides, rabid mascots, etc. I'm really glad to have other people around. More safety in numbers, right?" Thane looked at me weirdly, and then mumbled something about having to go charge his phone. I watched as he stumbled away awkwardly.

That was odd, but it was nice talking to him.

* * *

Somehow, my phone had almost died again, but I was so tired that I didn't use Kat's charger. I plugged it in with mine, and took a little nap in the café. At least it had a heater, so I was kept nice and warm.

When I woke up, I took a walk around, but I couldn't find anyone. When I got to the Alix the Cat gift shop, I could hear voices coming from the bathroom area. Thinking that it was a fight between Thane and Spencer, I jogged over to the direction of the voices. They, along with Bryce, were standing in front of the girl's restroom, which is pretty weird in and of itself, but there was also a weird... thing lying on its side that I had never seen- wait. That thing looks like the plushy in the arcade! What was the name?

...I don't even remember. Whatever.

Thane heard me coming towards them, and turned around.

Thane and Spencer spoke at the same time (psychic connection?).

"Jade?"

"Oh, it's you." Thane glared at Spencer, and vice versa, for speaking at the same time as him.

"What is that thing?" Thane stopped glaring at Spencer, and put his hands in his pockets, turning back to me.

"Dunno, but it's probably some kind of machine." I put a hand on my chin.

"Do you think it can be fixed?" Thane stood up straighter, and crossed his arms, speaking with his eyes closed.

"I could probably fix it. I was in the robotics club at school, so I know the basics of electrical engineering."

Bryce grinned, seeming to be amused by something, "That's pretty impressive, Thane."

Spencer huffed, "Tch, all high school robot clubs are for nerds and wannabes."

Thane narrowed his eyes at Spencer, looking slightly angry. "Are you trying to pick a fight?"

Bryce the peacemaker arises again, "I say we fix it. We don't really have anything to do, since we don't have a plan on getting out of here yet."

"I guess that'd be a good idea. Is the damage bad?" I tilt my head, looking up at Thane. I don't really know shit about assembling things, so this sounds pretty rad.

Thane looked away from me, "This seems like it's an easy fix, but it looks like some parts are missing... around six, I'm guessing."

"Why bother trying, then? It's not like the missing parts will be just conveniently lying around..." Spencer grumbled, but nobody listened to him.

Bryce looked around, confused. "...Has anyone seen Lena?"

Spencer continued to grumble, "She's probably just hiding. She seems like she's the loner type."

"But I was just talking to her a few days ago, and she did most of the talking!" The three boys looked at me with different levels of surprise (Bryce looked kind of sad, poor guy). "Maybe she's just shy around guys. Don't take it to heart, Bryce. You're a good guy."

Bryce grinned, but for some reason Thane and Spencer looked kind of irritated? Weird boy stuff, I guess.

"Well, we should look for her too. It's safer to stick together; more power in numbers." I think Thane glanced at me, but I'm even more sure that he just quoted what I told him yesterday. That's... kind of flattering, to be honest.

Everyone agrees, and we, yet again, scatter. When I walk in front of the Alix the Cat gift shop, my phone buzzes, signaling that it has received a message.

"What the..." I take out my phone, and see that it's just another text from the unknown number.

_**When falling damp tree unveils ghost**_

"...The hell? This doesn't even make sense." Whatever, I can just discuss this with the others later. Right now, I have to go find those robot parts.

* * *

I looked in the places that had mechanical rides first: the ferris wheel, the roller coaster, and the carousel.

The ferris wheel didn't have shit, just some balloons tied to a cart. What a letdown.

Luckily, the roller coaster proved to be more useful, since I found a part just lying on one of the coaster's seats. That's a really odd place to find one, how the hell did it get there?

Lastly, I went to the carousel. It also had a part, put this one was lying on the bottom of the ride (not on the ground, but on the part where the poles go).

After that, I walked over to the café, and saw another part just lying on the ground next to a lone empty chair. As I was walking away, I spotted the dark blonde hair I have grown familiar with, and jogged towards Thane before he could walk away.

"Hey! Thane! You found anything yet?" I was kind of hoping he hadn't found anything, so that I could (maybe?) impress him with the fact that I'd found half of them; but at the same time, what if that came off as bragging?

He sighed (not gonna lie, that sigh is starting to sounds adorable) and ran a hand through his hair, "Nope. I don't even know what they look like, all the parts in the robot looked pretty questionable, but then again, this whole thing is pretty questionable. I mean, they say 'seeing is believing', but to be honest this whole situation feels more another dream than reality..." He trailed off, getting oddly quiet. I decided to skip over the topic of finding those parts.

"...Well, I think that this is reality. I'd be pretty sad if it turns out this is all just a dream, and you guys aren't real... this whole thing has been pretty fun, even if it's only been a week at the most." A ghost of a smile flickered on Thane's face for a fraction of a second, but I still thought it was... I don't know. I feel odd. Maybe I caught a cold from that fountain?

"I suppose dreams can't be as coherent as this. Usually, you don't get hungry in a dream, and like you said, it's been around a week."

We discussed various dreams back and forth for a short amount of time, and somehow we made it all the way to dreams about future careers.

"I'm not the only one who sometimes dreams about being a rock star, am I?" I look at him for a short minute. He doesn't look like the musical type.

"...You play an instrument?" Thane let out a short laugh, before getting all serious, as per usual.

"Ha, no. But it's just a dream, and it's not really something I see myself doing in the long run. You need luck for that kind of thing, I think."

"Or an obnoxious amount of money, mixed with some type of drug addiction." I offered as some kind of comfort (I must admit, I don't think I'm quite cut out for that).

"True, I hadn't thought of that. Maybe it's better that I'm not able to pursue that career." Thane looked somewhat amused, and we parted ways, deciding that we had spent enough time taking a break.

I went south to the pool house (I think it's the 'official' place for getting into the pool, since there seems to be some kind of barrier around the pool that prevents us from getting in), not really expecting much; but it couldn't hurt to be thorough, right?

Surprisingly, there was a tiny part right between the pool and the pool house, just lying on the ground. Well, this only leaves the front entrance, the arcade, and the cinema, so they have to be there somewhere, right?

When I went to the front entrance, Bryce was standing there, looking in the fountain. Maybe he thought it could be hidden under all those coins that my group had thrown in (somehow they had also traveled here. Is this a parallel universe?), which is actually a pretty good idea. I decided to leave him to it, and continued on towards the arcade.

When I got there, I found (who else?) Thane standing with his back to me, just staring at the wall of the building, not seeming to be doing anything. I decided to strike up a conversation with him. After all, we're friends, right?

Before I was even able to say 'hello', Thane whipped around, seeming to have heard my footsteps. He looked rather startled, along with something else that I can't quite put my finger on.

"...Jade?" I put my hands on my hips, wondering what the hell he's doing when we're supposed to be looking for those robot parts? It was his suggestion, after all.

"What are you doing, Thane?" Thane looked at the ground, and kicked a stone.

"...Nothing much." He got really quiet, so I took a step forward to see if something was wrong, and his face suddenly got all red for some reason. He tried looking everywhere but at me. "Soo... uh..."

"What is it?" He looked pretty flustered. I wonder if he caught my cold? I hope not, I'd feel pretty bad if he got it just because I talk to him a lot.

"Well, it's just that... I, uh..." He paused again, and the redness of his face got even darker. "N-nothing. It's nothing."

Not convinced, I tried to push a little, "Are you sure? You can tell me, y'know. I think I'm pretty good at listening."

Thane sighed, and looked slightly better. "Sorry, it's just that I haven't been able to focus lately... I think my head is too busy flying in the clouds."

I laugh, and take a few steps back, no longer needing to use intimidation (not that I'm even intimidating, really. I'm five feet tall, for gods sake). "Well, that can't really be helped. This whole thing is rather... cloud-worthy, isn't it? Pretty mystical, it's almost like time has stopped... if the sun didn't set, that is. Not that I'm going to complain about that, the park gets rather beautiful at night." This didn't seem to do any good for Thane, because he suddenly started making an excuse to leave.

"I-I should get going- I have to go charge my phone...!" He tried to run away, but he managed to trip over that stone he was kicking earlier, and fell rather hard. Well, at least he managed to prevent his face from hitting the ground, but he looked pretty mortified.

"A-Are you okay, Thane?!" I reached out to touch his shoulder, but he just got up quickly, said "I'm fine!" and ran off.

"...What was that all about?" I turned around, and noticed another robot part _STICKING OUT OF THE WALL OF THE GOD DAMNED ARCADE_! It wasn't there when I came here yesterday, so that means that they must have been spread throughout the fucking NIGHT!

...I wonder if this was what Thane was looking at. If it was, why the hell didn't he get it? He's taller than me! I had to get a stool from inside the arcade to reach it, but that only left the cinema, if Bryce hadn't emerged from the fountain victorious (I doubt it, since I have not heard anything). Still, can't help to make sure.

When I walked over to the cinema, I wasn't able to immediately find anything, there was too much shit lying around. There was a Saki Dance game right in front of the cinema (weird. Shouldn't that be inside the arcade?), but even when I looked all around it, I didn't find anything. I walked around the cinema itself, and it was only when I had nearly gone the whole way around that I found the final part. It was hidden behind the shoe of that stupid statue of Mr. Antitouch!

Having gathered all the parts, I made my way back to the girl's restroom (which seemed to be our meeting place now), yelling to everyone that I got the parts.

* * *

"What? How did you manage to find everything?" Spencer sounded quite puzzled. I'm pretty sure I should be taking offense to that.

"I just had to look really hard." I didn't know if I should have told the group that this shit somehow happened overnight, but I decided not to. Might cause either distrust, or anxiety.

"Anyway, good work Jade. It should work properly now." While Thane worked on the machine-ish thing, I noticed that Lena was standing slightly to the right of Spencer (conveniently as far away from Bryce as possible). Birds of a feather flock together? It'd probably work better if Kat was here.

"Oh, hey Lena. Did you get lost?"

Spencer huffed, "Yeah, I had to find her and tell her about the meeting since Sweater Vest couldn't do it, and you two were busy looking for parts... or, at least _one_ of you was."

I don't think Thane heard him, so I skipped over that. "What do you mean 'couldn't'?"

Bryce looked kind of depressed, "She always runs away from me whenever I try to talk to her..."

Lena remained silent, and pulled her hat down. Bryce sighed, and decided to go onto the next topic. "Anyway, since we're all here, did anyone else get another weird text?"

I took out my phone, and looked at the text I received earlier. "Did it say something about a 'falling tree and ghost'?"

Thane paused in his work, and got up, fishing his phone out of his pocket. "I got that too. Was it a bad case of auto correct?"

Spencer looked at him like Thane was some kind of idiot (I think Thane was joking), "What are you, stupid? This is obviously from the person who sent us the first text, since we don't get any service here... but what could it mean?"

Bryce tried to placate Spencer before something dumb happened, "I'm sure it means something, Spencer. Maybe we're supposed to read it a certain way?"

I took my chance at it, even though I'm not too good with puzzles. "Ghost unveils damp tree falling when...?" Nah, didn't make any fucking sense.

Bryce went next, "Falling tree ghost when damp unveils...?" Didn't make any more sense than mine.

I tried again, "Unveils damp when ghost tree falling?" Fuck!

Thane and Spencer started speaking total gibberish. I think they were saying the words backwards, but that didn't do shit either. All it accomplished was a bunch of crazy nonsense. Lena, of course, said nothing.

I groaned, "You guys aren't even making any sense!"

Spencer sighed (he is the new Thane, due to psychic connections and shit), "Let's just table this for now, and get back to this stupid machine."

Thane looked annoyed, but he got back to work. After ten more minutes, Thane fixed up all the wiring, put the wheels back in place, and set it up straight. Now it looked exactly like that stupid plushy (which, I checked back on that doll. It's name is 'Cashy') in the arcade.

Thane got up, and wiped the oil and grease on his pants. It... looked pretty cool. "All right, that should do it."

We stood there for a few seconds, before Spencer just decided that it was a total waste of time. "See? What did I tell you?! It's not working. This was a waste of time."

I look down at 'Cashy'. "Maybe we should kick it?"

Thane stopped me before I could do it, "Wait."

Right after that, the eyes of Cashy lighted up, and his machinery started working. "The name's Cashy! Nice to meet y'all!" Oh, lovely. It's a hick.

I'm pretty sure I heard Lena call it "cute". Odd tastes, that girl.

Spencer, seeming to have silently taken back what he said about Cashy being useless, looked at Cashy with some level of interest. "So.. what does this thing do?"

Cashy then proceeded to spin around in circles, "I eat, sleep, drink, and party all night long with the most beautiful women!... That one over there isn't too bad!" Cashy was looking in my direction, and I swear I saw Thane get angry, if only for a moment.

"Wh-What?"

Cashy let out a mechanical laugh (which sounded REALLY creepy), "Nah, I'm kidding. I wish that was true. I'm just a robot that stores and deposits money."

"Oh, that explains the name. So, you're like an ATM? Pretty cool that you have awareness, Cashy." Cashy looked at me with some creepy kind of smile. It was sort of unnerving.

"That's right, Cutie! Just hook me up with your charger, and I'll give you some cash in exchange for some of your phone's battery like." Thane gave it an odd look, seeming puzzled.

"I don't remember finding any money inside this thing..." He paused, "...Oh, so that's why there was a safe with a security code."

Cashy spun until he was facing Thane, and looked at him menacingly. "You're the one that repaired me without my permission?"

"...What." Cashy rolled even closer to Thane.

"You didn't get my permission to look through all my private parts, did you?! Therefore, you are a criminal!"

Bryce giggled (oh my god), "Gosh, Thane, he's right!"

Thane didn't look like he even knew what to say, so I stepped in and crouched down next to Cashy, who immediately turned to me with that weird smile. "I was the one who asked him to fix you... sorry."

Cashy spun around a few times, "Oh, is that so~? It's okay then, I'll forgive a cute gal like yourself. Well, I have stuff to do. Tally ho!" With that, Cashy rolled away, but not before he purposely ran over Bryce's foot.

Bryce is quite manly, if I do say so myself in a platonic way. He didn't even swear, just said "ow". What a guy.

Everyone stood there, wondering what the fuck just happened, until we all heard Lena whisper.

"...Cute." I think I heard Spencer face palm, but it could have been Thane too (not Bryce, he's too nice... haha, that rhymed).

Another sigh escaped from the Thane clone, "We spent all that time fixing the thing and we still don't know anything."

I almost wanted to punch him. _I_ got the parts, and _Thane_ fixed it! He did not do anything!

...But, I should calm down. I think Bryce was able to somehow SENSE my masked anger, because he changed the subject entirely.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm pretty hungry right now." There was some agreement from the other three. It might be the only thing Spencer and Thane will ever agree on. "Well, there was a seemingly endless food supply available at the café. Based on Thane's popcorn experience, we'll probably have to have the money for it, or else we'll be locked in. Though, I do wonder what would happen if we had no money, but went in and ate something anyway. Would we just be locked inside forever...?"

"We don't have time for the 'What if' game, Sweater Vest." Spencer snapped.

"Well, I can go. Just tell me what you guys want." I grin, thinking of using a certain somebody's wallet.

"Are you sure?" Thane looked surprised, as did the others.

"Yeah, it's no problem. I can just pay my friend back later." Or make up a lie about how it was already like that when I found it, whichever works.

I gather their food preferences, and was about to leave when Cashy came rolling up to me again.

"Hey, Cutie! So, how's it going for 'ya?"

"Well, I was about to go get food, I guess." Cashy made a 'clicking' noise.

"Making the girl do the errand running, and even footing the bill, eh? Oh how society has fallen." I started waving my hands back and forth.

"It's not a problem! I'm the only one with money on hand right now, so it's fine, honestly!"

"Well, if you say so deary. I'll see 'ya around. Tally ho!" Cashy spun off into the distance, to go do god knows what.

I shivered; Cashy is really fucking creepy. I'm kind of glad I didn't pick up that plushy now.

I decided I've wasted enough time, and jog over to the café. Standing outside, of course, is Thane. He greets me as I get closer.

"Hey, Thane. What are you doing over here?"

"Well... I thought I'd help you carry the food over, if you need help."

"O-oh, it's fine! I can carry it myself...!" I put my hands over my cheeks, trying to cover up my blushing. It's really nice to offer help! "Uhm, uhm, uhm, but thanks for offering! Uh, here! You can have this!" I take off the dog tag I was wearing, and hand it over to him.

He takes it, and looks at the name engraving...weirdly? Why does he look confused? ...WAIT.

MY NAME WAS ON THAT- OH GEEZ, THAT'S REALLY EMBARRASSING.

"...I've always thought these were pretty cool. Thanks." He just casually put it on, and tucked the tag underneath his striped shirt.

"U-uh, n-no problem! Well, I'm going to go get the food now... s-see 'ya!" I ran inside the café (tripping over a chair in the process. Oh my god, coordination. I don't have it).

I bought all of the food available, but it regenerated after I took it. Creepy.

I walked outside with my hands full of the two bags that I had managed to split them into, and heard my phone buzz. Great timing! I wasn't busy or anything. I set the bags on a table carefully, and took out my annoying ass phone.

"W-what?!" On it, my number had somehow dropped from the 21 I had when I went into the café, to a 4! A sudden drop by 17 for no reason!? Well, it's kind of scary, but it's better than the time my number dropped to 1, I guess?

When I looked up, there was a weird boy standing ten feet away, just staring at me like he couldn't believe I was there. "A-A person...?!"

"U-uh..." This guy... I've never seen him before. Where did he come from?

He suddenly started skipping forward with a super happy look on his face, and I took a few steps back in cautiousness, but he stopped a few feet away, then skipping closer until it we were only a foot apart. This guy has space issues.

"Hello!"

"...H-Hi."

"What's your name?" Well... he was certainly friendly. Maybe I can trust him after all?

"I'm Jade." He grinned even wider now, and I almost wondered if this guy was related to Bryce in any way.

"Oh, that's such a great name! I like it! I'm Arlo!" I tried to smile back at him, but it might have looked awkward.

"N-nice to meet you, Arlo?" I fidgeted, "...So, uh, when did you get 'here'?"

He was quiet for a moment, but then he sounded unsure, "Uh, not too long ago, I think. This place is really big! I got lost the second I got here!"

"Oh, so you're trapped here like the rest of us?" He looked even more surprised at this revelation.

"Th-There are other people here too!?"

"Yeah, of course. I can't eat all this food by myself, heh. You can come with me, we were about to have lunch. They're all pretty nice." Except Spencer, but... this guy looks pretty dense, maybe it won't bother him.

He looked kind of scared, but also happy (what an emotional roller coaster this guy is), "Phew! I was freaking out because I couldn't find anyone! I thought I was here all by myself!...Hey, Jade. Will you be my friend?"

He just sounded so weak, I couldn't bring myself to turn him down. "Sure, Arlo."

"Really?" He looked super pumped.

"Well, why not? You seem like you're a good guy, Arlo." I smile more confidently this time, but that all disappears the next minute, because Arlo suddenly has be in a bone-crushing hug.

"I like you, Jade! You're really nice!" I struggle for a few moments, before he seems to finally realize I cannot breathe, and lets go.

"C'mon, let's go. The others must be getting really hungry by now. I'll introduce you to everyone." I picked up the bags, but then Arlo took one of them.

"I can't just let you carry everything!"

"...Okay."

* * *

When we get inside, Spencer starts bitching about almost dying as Arlo and I set the food on the table. Thane calls him a drama queen (hehe!). Spencer gets all butt hurt. I turn to Arlo, and he's just standing there, grinning like he's the happiest guy ever.

"So, uh, this is Arlo. He just got here. I met him a few minutes ago when I was leaving the café."

Arlo waved enthusiastically, "Hi!"

The others introduced themselves (with the one mishap of Bryce trying to trick Arlo into thinking his name is Bob. I lightly punched his shoulder).

Bryce laughed, rubbing his arm slightly. "So, Arlo. Where are you from?"

Arlo looks more comfortable with this question, "I live here in East Cigam."

Thane raises an eyebrow, looking intrigued. "Really? Me too. Wonder if we've passed each other before."

"Maybe."

"Well, I live in South Cigam," Spencer butted in, "and I'm just gonna guess, but Sweater Vest is from West Cigam, am I right?"

Bryce looked pleasantly surprised, "Huh? How'd you know?"

Spencer looked away, "...Just a lucky guess."

Bryce seemed to realize what Spencer was implying, and looked kind of sad. "You think I'm weird?"

Spencer mumbled in between coughs, "'Weird things happen in West Cigam'."

I attempted to save Bryce from the bullying he was getting, "Well, what about you, Lena?"

Lena looked away from everyone, but then stood up and looked me right in the eyes. "North Cigam."

"Whoa, that's freaky! We're (almost) all from the different parts of Cigam!" Geez, Cigam is pretty damn big.

Thane looked at me confusedly, "...Wait, Jade, where are you from?"

"Oh, Central Cigam for me." For the first time, Spencer didn't speak rudely.

"Seriously?... What's it like living there?" I shrug.

"Just kind of normal, I guess?"

"Really?" I was starting to get frustrated with his weird new tone.

"Well, what did you have in mind?"

Spencer sighed, "Well... I don't know. I've never actually been there, that's why I asked."

"O-oh... sorry." Thane stared at Spencer, but then looked to Arlo.

"So, Arlo. What's your number?"

"Huh? You mean my phone number?"

"No, the number on your phone." Bryce took out his phone, and showed it to Arlo. Everyone else (including me, I guess, but I was careful to make sure that nobody else could see it) followed his example.

"Well, our phones display a number instead of the time now." Arlo didn't _really_ look surprised, but tried to look like it anyway?

"Really?... Uh..." He went through all of his pockets, "...Um... where'd it go?"

Spencer snapped his head up, "What?"

"I-I think I dropped it somewhere when I was running around. Well... this isn't the first time I've lost it, I'm pretty good at losing things." God, that's the third Kat-copy. It's starting to get really creepy.

Spencer walks up beside me, and stares at Arlo, slightly panicked. "This is bad..."

"What is? I'll find it eventually..."

"You're not going to be able to charge your phone if you don't even have it..."

Arlo tilted his head, and laughed awkwardly. "Well, yeah, I guess not...?"

Spencer sighed, "Shit, that's right. You're new to all of this." He took out his phone and shoved it into Arlo's face. "It appears that our energy is directly connected to the battery life on our phones. If we don't keep charging them, we'll become exhausted."

This did seem to surprise Arlo, "W-What?! Really? That's odd... oh, this is bad, isn't it?"

Thane tries to get in on the conversation, "Well, we could try calling your number as we walk around the park... unless you left it on silent."

Arlo sighed (IT IS BECOMING A VIRUS), "I-I did... b-but my phone has a pretty long battery life, so maybe we'll find it before it runs out?"

Spencer nods, then looked over at me for some reason, and saw my phone. "Huh? W- Jade, what the hell happened to your number?"

God damn it, now everyone knows my number dropped super low! Thanks a bunch, Spencer!

"Oh, I-I don't know. It just dropped suddenly."

"B-But Jade, your number is getting dangerously low..." Bryce frowned, worried.

Thane sighed, "I thought I was getting onto something about our number patterns..."

Spencer snorted, "Remember that one time when everything made sense? Yeah, me neither."

Bryce put a hand on my shoulder, "Do you think there's something that you did that could have caused this?"

"Well... I can't think of anything. Maybe my phone just hates me. I was at the number 1 just yesterday." And sHIT WHY DID I TELL THEM THAT!?

I follow up quickly, "But it went up by 10 after I talked to Thane."

Thane looks vaguely angry. I did not handle that right.

Spencer looked contemplative, "...Don't you think our social interactions affect our numbers, then?"

"Maybe. Now we just have to figure out how that works." Thane sighed.

Arlo whined, "My head hurrrrts!"

I stood there silently, watching them bicker and banter. I really don't want to cause this much trouble...

"...It's okay if my number drops to zero." Everything turned dead silent for five minutes straight, with everyone staring at me and I fiddled with the bottom of my shirt.

Arlo was the first one to speak, "What?"

"Well, I mean... once it drops to zero, I'll be able to leave, right? Then I won't have to worry about this whole mess anymore..."

"Nope." Spencer grumbled, "You don't just get to leave like that. Things can't be that easy. That... would be too unfair for the ones left behind."

It was honestly the nicest thing he's ever said to anyone so far. I was touched.

"...but..."

Thane raised a hand up, "I agree with Spencer. We only have each other right now, we shouldn't try to give up."

Lena tugged her hat down, but looked up at me with a small smile. Bryce gave me a sad smile.

"Please try to be just a little bit stronger? For us?"

Arlo walked up behind me, and crushed me into another hug, rubbing his head against my hair. What the hell is his body made of? METAL? "It's okay~ Everything will be all right, Jade~!"

Ignoring Arlo's physical contact problem, I moved my head higher up so that I could speak. "But what about Arlo's phone? And-"

Thane seemed to be glaring at Arlo, but he spoke to me calmly. "Let's focus on one problem at a time, and try not to get overwhelmed."

"Aw, don't worry about me, Jade. I'll probably find it sooner or later, it always shows up."

"O-oh... okay." I sunk my head down so that nobody could see my face, because I was blushing pretty hard right now.

It's nice to have so many strangers care about you...

"... Arlo, when are you going to let go of Jade?" I looked up slightly to see everyone staring at Arlo. Thane looked pretty angry now.

"Don't friends give each other hugs? Jade's my best friend now~" He squeezed even tighter, and I had to struggle now, because I couldn't breathe.

"...I think you're depriving your 'best friend' of oxygen." Spencer grumbled. Arlo let go of me completely, taking a step back with his hands up.

"Oh my god! Are you okay, Jade? I'm sorry!" I have to crouch down to catch my breath properly, but I get up afterwards and smile at him. He's a sweet boy, just has some personal space issues.

"No, I'm okay. Thanks for the hug, I guess." He grinned, and started jumping around.

"Let's go on a tour of the park!" Arlo brought out a map out of his hoodie (what the hell, didn't he say he got lost?), and pointed to the roller coaster. "Let's got here first! Meet you all there!"

* * *

As soon as everyone left, I walked out of the gift shop, and saw that Thane was just casually standing outside. I had the slightest suspicion that Thane was stalking me, but that's crazy.

"Hey Thane, weren't you going over to the roller coaster?" I looked up at him.

"Yeah, I was... but... then Cashy came by and threatened me to stand here. I don't think we should trust it at all, it doesn't even seem like Cashy can help us."

I shivered, thinking of what Cashy has said to me all day. "Y-Yeah, who knows what he's thinking behind that smile..."

"We should be careful around it." I blinked, and thought I saw Cashy hiding behind a trash can, staring at us. S-Shit, did he hear us? I hope not.

"W-Well, the others are waiting for us, let's go.." I grab Thane's arm, and drag him over towards the roller coaster.

* * *

"Yay! Thane and Jade finally caught up!" Arlo cheered, skipping in place. Thane was starting to lose some color in his face, and looked pretty uncomfortable.

"A-Are you guys sure you want us to go on this thing? What if it's not running properly because of our situation?"

Spencer grinned, and mocked him. "What, are you _scared_?"

"Of course not."

"Then it'll be fine if you ride on it! There are just enough seats for the six of us! How convenient!" Bryce grinned.

Arlo squealed, "This is going to be sooo much fun!"

Bryce set up the seating like this:

Back: Arlo and Bryce (HAPPY ALL THE TIME)

Middle: Me and Thane (still not looking too good)

Front: Lena and Spencer (Seemingly kind of friends?)

As we rode on up, I tried talking to Thane, since he wasn't looking so hot. His face was deep pink, and he had his eyes shut tight.

"So, this is the only roller coaster in the park, huh? Usually amusement parks have quite a few."

"Yeah..."

"Oh, we're almost at the top. That was quick." I was kind of disappointed. It's kind of nice to sit next to Thane, and chat with him, without any interference from the others.

Thane didn't respond for a few moments, but then he spoke so quietly, I almost didn't hear him over the wind. "...Jade."

I felt a tight pressure on my left hand, and looked down. "A-are you... holding my hand?"

Thane ignored me, and took a deep breath. "Every-Everything's going to be fine. It'll just go in a few circles, and then we're done."

He turned to me, and opened his eyes, staring into my eyes with serious written all over him. "Jade, there's something I should tell you..."

"What is it?"

"I-I'm-" Thane was cut off as we suddenly reached the top, and zoomed down the track, doing three full circles. I think he was screaming, but then again, everyone else was too. I managed to take my hand out of his when the ride came to a stop. When I looked back over to see why Thane hadn't gotten out, I saw why it was so easy; Thane was unconscious.

"Th-Thane?!" I heard Spencer snicker behind me.

"He seriously fainted? Wow, that's pretty lame." I ignored him, and reached way over to shake Thane's shoulder.

"Hey! Wake up, Thane!" After a few minutes, he stirred a little, and his eyes opened, making his poker face immediately return.

"...What?"

Spencer sneered, "If you don't like roller coasters, why did you even get a job at an amusement park? You make no sense at all."

Thane responded very maturely. "Your face doesn't make any sense either."

Arlo grinned, "Let's go again!"

Thane glared at him, "How about no?!"

Bryce laughed, "Okay, what's next Arlo?"

"The ferris wheel!" Arlo skipped away, and the others shrugged and followed, leaving only Thane and I behind.

"Are you ok, Thane?" Thane sighed.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's nothing. I'm fine." That wasn't at all suspicious, Thane. Very original. I decided to just forget it, and ask what I really wanted to ask.

"What were you going to say before?" Thane froze, and looked away, his face suddenly looking incredibly flushed.

"I-I don't remember. F-forget about it, it was probably nothing." He turned and ran away towards the others. I slowly made my way over to the group. Arlo was skipping in place again, but Spencer looked grumpier.

"Riding the ferris wheel with Jade~" Arlo sang incredibly off-key.

"Arlo, we have to split into groups. One cabin can't hold all six of us." Thane rubbed his eyes, not making eye contact with me. What's his problem?

Bryce, standing off to the side, grinned for some reason. "Well, Thane's going with Arlo, I'm going with Spencer, and Lena wants to ride alone."

Lena was quiet for a few seconds, before she tugged her hat down. "...No. I'll go with Jade, if she wants to."

Bryce looked depressed again, "Oh."

Arlo grabbed my arm, trying to tug me along (but not really). "Jade, you should come with us~!"

Spencer grumbled, "Geez, at least let her make her own decisions."

"Thanks Spencer, but I don't mind going with Thane and Arlo." I have a hunch that Thane's afraid of heights, so I should go with, as his maybe-best friend.

Thane had us sit in a certain way: Me on the far right, Thane in the middle (but mostly shifted towards me), and then Arlo on the far left. This was a suspicious set up.

"Aww, how come I don't get to sit next to Jade?" Arlo whined. Thane didn't look too good again.

He started stuttering again, "Th-there will be too much weight on this side if you sit over here."

"Then let's switch seats! I want to sit next to Jade!" Arlo grinned, and it looked like he was about to move, but Thane spoke quickly before he could do so.

"No-No no no, the cabin will rock violently if we move too much, and what if we all fall through this door if it opens?" Arlo looked shocked, and stopped moving at all.

"O-oh... okay." Instead, he shifted so that he could look out the glass... but he suddenly stood up, and started jumping up and down. "Wow!"

The cabin started tilting back and forth, and the two of us who were sitting were jumbled around like two marbles in a five-gallon jug.

Of course, Thane started freaking out immediately, "Don't stand up!"

"Everything looks so pretty from up here!"

"Sit down!"

"Look! Look, guys! I can see the café, and the pool, and the pool house-"

"Arlo! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Thane was starting to get extremely nervous, and was shouting, "ARLO! STAHP!"

"Thane, you're not making anything better by freaking out!" I was slightly freaked out myself, but Thane needed help right now.

"B-but... w-we're so high up!"

"If you're that scared, why'd you get on?!"

"No! I'm not scared!" He was getting even worse than when we were on the roller coaster.

Meanwhile, ARLO IS STILL JUMPING. DOES HE NOT HEAR US AT ALL?!

"Alright then! Just calm down! I'll fix this." I patted him on the head in my weird way of trying to comfort him. I'm not good at it.

"Ooh! Look, it's the carousel! I wish we could go on it, but it's not working." Suddenly, Arlo just stops jumping, and turns back to us, standing on his seat. "Are you guys seeing all this? You're missing out on all the fun!"

"We wouldn't be missing anything if you'd sit down, Arlo." Arlo looked confused for a moment, but then he saw Thane (who was now having a silent meltdown), and seemed to understand.

"O-oh... Sorry, guys." Arlo sat down, and folded his hands in his lap.

"H-high... so high up..." Thane whispered, slowly sinking in his seat. "No, oh geez, we're going to die...!"

By now, he was curled up in a ball, with his arms over his head. That didn't look too comfortable, so, without even thinking it through, I pulled his head onto my lap, and started petting his hair. Arlo looked solemn, but he didn't say anything.

"Calm down, you'll be fine. Are you really that scared of heights?" Thane didn't even seem to register what I was doing, because he was still freaking out.

"No, I told you! I'm not scared!"

"Then what's wrong?"

"I-I... I'M NOT SCARED AT ALL!"

"Lies! Everything is lies!" I put him back onto his seat. If he's going to be like that, I won't provide any comfort!

"Arggh... I want to be back on the ground...! What if Arlo's rocking made the support frame weaken, and the cabin detaches?! What would we do then?!"

Arlo grinned, "Well... we'd be back on the ground of course!"

"Don't joke about that or it will really happen!" Thane shrieked quietly.

I sighed. Maybe I should have rode with Lena...

* * *

"A movie~! We're going to watch a movie~!" Arlo sang in that wonderfully off-key voice, skipping all the while.

Spencer groaned, "Do you get excited everytime something happens?"

Arlo ignored him, and cheered. "I want to sit in the front!"

Bryce smiled, "Anywhere is fine for me."

Thane looked at me, appearing to be feeling better from earlier. "Well, where do you want to sit, Jade?"

"I'll sit in the front, I guess."

After some decision making, we came up with this order:

Front: Arlo, Bryce, Me.

Back: Lena, Spencer, Thane.

Right as the previews were rolling, Spencer started to complain.

"Why did I have to get stuck behind Bryce? Why did we even sit Bryce in the front?!"

"O-oh... should we switch seats?"

"No, it's fine. Spencer, do you want to switch seats with me? This screen is closer than I thought, so I should probably sit in the back."

"Oh... Thanks Jade." Spencer and I quickly switched seats, just in time for the movie to begin. Arlo started to complain right after that.

"I don't like this seat!" Bryce looked over at him, confused.

"What? But it's in the front just like you wanted, right?"

"This seat's too far from Jade now!" I ignored his cries, and offered to share my large tub of popcorn with Lena and Thane, but Lena declined, and excused herself to the bathroom.

"Well, this is a nice movie, right? Perfect amount of action." I grin as I whisper to Thane, so as not to disturb the others.

"Yeah. It's okay... I guess. Sometimes I'll watch movies, but none of the one's I've seen have ever been that great."

"I know a few good ones?"

"Oh, really? Maybe I should rent those titles when we leave here..." He mumbled the next part, "...and, uh, maybe we could watch them together?"

Spencer looked back and hissed at us, "Shut up Thane! I'm trying to watch the film!"

I smile, and whisper, "That sounds like fun."

* * *

Bryce got to choose are next destination: the pool. Everyone cheered and stampeded over there, but I hung back and took my time so that I wouldn't be caught in the fight to get inside the pool house. When I get there, I see (OF COURSE) Thane, just standing outside, with his back to me, looking at his phone.

"...Thane, what're you doing? Aren't you going to go get changed?" He looked startled, but relaxed when he saw it was just me.

"I'm waiting for Bryce to change. There's more than one stall, but I'd rather not be in there with Bryce, he sings like there's nobody around, and it's almost as bad as Arlo."

"Oh... So, what are you looking at?" He puts his phone away, keeping his hands in his pockets.

"Well... I was just thinking. 'When falling damp tree unveils ghost' has to mean something, right?"

"Maybe it's symbolic?" Maybe a tree will save us?

"Well... if it is, I hope that doesn't mean that one of us is going to die."

"What?... O-oh, geez! Don't say that! Nobody will die!"

Thane watched my reaction, and frowned. "How do you know?"

"W-well..." I sigh, "...I guess I don't. Maybe you're right..."

Now, Thane turned his head to stare at the pool. Lena was the only one in the water, and she was watching us silently.

"Well, we have to be careful."

I nod, "...It's actually pretty scary, isn't it? This whole situation... what if we never get out of here?"

Thane was mute for a long time, but then he finally turned back to me. "...Are you scared?"

"Well... yeah..." I muttered, and turned my eyes to the ground. Thane took a step forward, and tilted my chin upwards with his hand.

"Then I'll protect you."

I looked at him, eyes widened, extremely caught off guard by his sudden change in attitude. My face gradually became a bright red.

"W-what?" I stutter.

"Well... while I can't exactly promise you that we'll get out of here anytime soon... I can, at the least, try my best to help you be comfortable, right?" W-Where's this coming from?! I must have looked confused, because he started panicking, "I-I mean.. th-that is... i-if you... uh... N-never mind." He turned, and tried running into the pool house. I say 'tried', because he ran right into the door, and _then_ he opened it, running inside.

I looked back over towards Lena, who I _swear_ was smiling in amusement. I really hope she wasn't able to hear us.

* * *

I must say, I am rather _fucking pissed_. Apparently, one of my friends switched out my green one piece for a bikini sorts (at least it was green too, I guess)! . . .Was probably Jay, that fucking bastard. May the rats eat her eyes!

I look over at Thane and Spencer, who seem to be having a few words.

"What's wrong with you? You didn't bring your swim trunks? Did you not know this park had a pool or something?"

Spencer spun around to face the other way (which is towards me, who's just standing there watching), "Well... I wasn't planning on going to the pool."

"Hey... it's okay if you can't swim." Thane sounded amused.

"I can swim perfectly fine, thank you very much!" Spencer snapped.

"...Really?" Thane walked closer to Spencer, took Spencer's phone, and... shoved Spencer right into the pool. The second Spencer hit the water, he started struggling, and looks absolutely furious.

"IDIOT...! YOU BASTARD, I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" He screeched, "Come down and fight me like a man! I'm going to break your stupid glasses, then hold your head under water until you DROWN!"

"There we go, that's the spirit I wanted!" Thane tossed the phone over to Bryce, who caught it without even opening an eye. Impressive. After that, Thane did a dive bomb into the water, and the two of them started have a fist fight in the pool.

Bryce laughed, "Play nice, you two. No blood in the pool."

I decided that I _had_ to see this, so I lied down on my towel and watched the two of them go at it. After thirty solid minutes punching each other, they finally got exhausted. Thane hopped up onto the rim on the pool, next to where I was lying down, and asked me to hold onto his glasses, but Spencer spoke before I was able to obtain them.

Spencer sighed, and glared, "My shoes are probably ruined, you jerk."

"All you have to do is leave them in the sun to dry, it won't even take a day."

Spencer repeated, "My shoes are probably _RUINED_, you asshole!"

"So what? You're not a princess, and there's not even anything sharp in this place! You'll be fine if you just walk around shoeless until they dry!"

I pipe up, "Won't you get a cold?" The two of them jumped a little, almost as if they just now noticed I was there.

"No, I won't! It's summer, I can't catch a cold!" Spencer paused, and then started looking around in a panic, "H-hey, where'd my phone go?"

"I gave it to Bryce. Don't worry, it's safe." Spencer looked pretty damn angry.

"What if it had gone into the pool with me?! What would you have done yet?! Did that thought even occur to you!?"

Thane huffed, "I made sure I was careful. I'm not stupid."

"Could've fooled me. You just don't listen, do you?"

I rested my head on my arms, watching them bicker. "Heehee... you guys are good friends, huh?"

The two of them stopped what they were doing at once, and stared at me (Spencer looked like he had no idea what to do).

"Didn't you just see us fighting? Are you blind? Maybe _you_ should be the one with the glasses." Spencer grabbed Thane's glasses, and put them on my face. My vision was pretty blurry, but I could still make the two of them out.

"Gee, _thanks_ Spencer, I can see _perfectly_ now!" I rolled my eyes.

"He's right, maybe you should wear them instead of me." I could hear Thane laugh, and I was frustrated that I couldn't see it for myself, so I reached over and shoved Thane back into the pool.

* * *

The next day, when I walked over to the arcade, I could hear some shouting coming from the inside. It doesn't take a genius to know who it was, so I walked in.

"What's goin' on?" Bryce turned to me, smiling widely.

"I believe that those two are having another battle for dominance. It's quite common for young teenage males, which might explain why they grate on each others nerves so often."

"...Bryce, you're not that much older than the rest of us." He laughed in response.

"Well, to be honest, Lena's the oldest." Lena was actually standing right beside him, actually.

"What. Really?" Suddenly, the shouting between our favorite duo got a bit more heated. They seemed to be fighting over... video games. Wow.

"There's no way you could ever beat me."

"Oh yeah? Do you wanna try?"

"I've told you several times that this one isn't like the other shooters. The controls are completely different from the others." Spencer growled.

"Don't talk big like you know everything! You only worked here for one day!"

"...Are we going to play or not?"

"Fuck yeah we are. Let's go." Before they were able to get to the machines, Lena grabbed the hem of Spencer's shirt to get his attention.

"...Can I...?" Spencer looked taken aback, but even Mr. Anger Issues himself seemed to know that you shouldn't turn her down, with how little she interacts with the group.

"Well... yes. Of course you can. C'mon, let's get started."

Arlo cheered, "Yay! Good luck, everyone!"

The three of them started playing, with Thane and Spencer giving it their all, while Lena just stays silent and plays calmly.

In the background was just me and the ever-happy duo. After several moments of silence, Bryce was the one to break it.

"So... who do you think will win?"

"Hmm... I don't know." I hummed.

"I hope they all win~" Arlo's eyes sparkled with innocence. I guess he's never seen a competition before.

"Arlo... if they all won, there would be no losers... which means that nobody would be a 'winner'."

Arlo grinned childishly, "Oh yeah..."

"Mmm~ But they sure look like they're having fun. Maybe we should have a little bit of fun ourselves?"

"What kind of fun are you talking about?"

"How about... a little wager?"

"Ooh! Me! I wanna gamble!... Oh, but I don't have any cash.."

"That's okay, we can just wager something else!" Bryce turned to me, and spoke quieter, so that just the two of us could hear him. "How about the winner... gets to kiss our little Jade here?"

"W-wait... what?!"

"...Alright!" Arlo cheered, making Spencer snap at him to shut up.

"And, if Jade wins, she can pick which one of us you want to kiss!" I _really_ wonder if he meant 'one of us' as in all of the members of our group, or just the two of them.

"Uh... no thanks. I don't think a kiss is something you should gamble on."

"Aww." Arlo whined.

"That's... rather smart, Jade."

"WHAT?! DAMN IT ALL!" We turn back to the gamers to see Spencer smashing his head against a wall. It's most likely safe to assume he wasn't the winner.

Thane gazed at Lena, seeming to be quite astonished, "...Lena, you're... really good at these kinds of things, aren't you?"

Lena fiddled with her skirt, and pulled her hat down. "...Th-Thanks..."

"Oh, Lena won? It's a good thing we didn't make that bet then, I was going to bet on Thane." Bryce laughed. The unsuspecting three (well, two. Lena probably didn't care) stared at Bryce, trying to figure out what it is that he meant. It's better if they never find out.

I quickly escaped from the group, and saw that it was already evening. I decided to take a little stroll around the park before I turn in for the night. Even though we only have to recharge to get energy, I still like keeping the habit of actually sleeping. After a half hour or so of walking, I ran into Thane (gasp!), who was hanging around the gift shop again.

"Hey, Thane! Wanna hang out?" Thane looked quite startled.

"W-what? You mean just the two of us?"

I shrug, "Well... yeah. Is something wrong with that?"

"No... it's just been a while since I've 'hung out' with somebody before."

I can't help but giggle at how he worded that, "Heh... indeed. You don't seem like you'd be the most social guy around."

He sighed, "It's not like I don't like other people... it's just that they make me uncomfortable. I suppose that I just don't like the idea of other people getting to know me."

"What? Why not?"

"I-I don't know. I'm just normal, so people aren't interested in me anyway, so..."

"...I would like to know you better." He was quiet, so I kept speaking, "You'll never be able to make friends if you never try to open up to anyone..."

He remained silent, so I sighed, turned away from him, and crossed my arms.

"...Sometimes it just feels like you're ignoring me..." I muttered under my breath, not thinking that he heard me; I was pretty surprised when he suddenly grabbed my shoulders and spun me around, keeping a firm grip on my arms.

"I do...pay attention... I've always been watching you, Jade. The movement of your fingers, where your eyes are gazing..." He stared at me, "...I'm weird, aren't I? Do you really want to get to know a person like me...? I'm not comfortable with telling other people about myself... but it's worse with you. Half the time, I'm scared to say anything to you at all, because all I really want to tell you... is my feelings. I... don't know what to do. But why am I scared? You've been nothing but friendly to me... but maybe that's just it. Maybe I'm scared that you don't feel the same way as I do, that you just see me as a good friend?...Geez, I've never been so afraid of losing something important. "

He took in a deep breath, "Just so you know, I'm always watching you... I completely lose my cool around you, because my heart just can't stop pounding... I... I've liked you since I first saw you in the arcade on the day this whole thing happened. I was going to try and offer you some help, since you looked pretty unsure of what to do, but then you dragged a wounded guy out, and I thought he was your boyfriend, so I gave up. But... after I saw you standing at the entrance, the feeling got stronger. I was actually able to learn more about you, and you were... absolutely wonderful. So... these are my feelings, Jade. This is 'me'."

I wasn't even able to say anything back, I was too stunned that he suddenly went on a long tirade. He sighed sadly, seeming to misinterpret my silence.

"The real me... really sounds that pathetic?"

Finally finding my voice, I shake my head rapidly. "No-no, not at all! I... really like the real you."

"W-what?" Thane's face flushed a deep red, his eyes slightly widened.

"You don't sound pathetic at all! It takes a lot of courage to honestly tell somebody your true feelings." I pause, and look down at my feet, getting embarrassed when I suddenly realized how close we were (oh my god, I hope nobody sees or hears us!). "U-Um... the real you is a great person, Thane."

Even though I had been intently listening to what he's been saying, what he said next really surprised me.

"...How much can a person love another person?"

Not knowing if he was just stating a rhetorical question, or actually wanted an answer, I just replied anyway. "Um... I think you can never truly reach a 'limit' to how much you love somebody. There will always be something new that you'll find out about them... and then you'll just keep falling..."

"That must be true... because I just keep falling more and more in love with you..." He tilted my chin upwards, but I already knew what he was about to do... so, I let him kiss me.

It was... sweet, to say the least. If I had to describe it, I might be talking all day. After that... wonderful experience, Thane just buried his face in my shoulder. I thought he was emotionally drained, and/or was overloading, but he suddenly started mumbling. I wasn't able to understand what he was saying, my hoodie (that I grabbed yesterday after I got out of the pool, thankfully. It is getting pretty god damned cold!) was muffling his voice, but I did sense that he was saying something important.

He slightly lifted his head, and hugged me. It was looser than Arlo's death-hugs, but it was also warmer.

"Can I stay with you like this, Jade?"

"...Yeah."

* * *

We spent the next week glued together... but then Spencer suddenly called for a meeting underneath the roller coaster. Oddly enough, he neglected to inform Arlo. Somehow, he had managed to solve the puzzle that we had received before we met Arlo.

_**When falling damp tree unveils ghost**_ turned into _**giving up all self worth means the end**_.

"Wow... it was just as simple as this." Big talk coming from Spencer, since it took him 8 whole days to figure it out. Then again, I'm not one to talk.

"So it was an anagram..."

"Okay, so what does this mean?" Thane looked at Spencer, not even putting up a fight. It's weird, they just suddenly stopped fighting a few days ago. I wonder what caused that? It's rather nice, though.

Spencer turned back towards the wall, looking over his writings. I must admit, there's quite a bit of detail. "...If I'm right, the numbers represent our values and dignity. The more selfless we are, the lower our number gets. And vice versa."

Bryce still managed to get confused, "...What?"

Spencer turned around just to glower at him, "Don't 'What?' me! You're into psychology! You should know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"O-oh! You're talking about giving value vs. taking value, right? Giving value makes other people feel better about themselves; giving compliments, gifts, and being friends are an example of such." Suddenly, Bryce took on a more serious tone, "On the other hand, a person with low self-esteem may try to take value from others to make themselves feel better instead. In short: bullying... but in this situation, we don't have much of a choice but to take value sometimes. As you are surely implying, I think that when we take value, we drain it directly from the one who gives it to us?"

Spencer looked shocked that Bryce was able to actually keep up with him (honestly, I am too. I was starting to think he was a flunking student), "...Yeah."

Bryce frowned, "That explains why Jade's number got so low that one time. She bought everyone lunch."

"Are you absolutely sure about this? What if this was just a coincidence?"

"...All this time, I've been trying to figure out the basic concept of our numbers. I was certain that it was interactions that affected them, I just didn't know how. It might have taken me a while to clear everything up, but it was because I wanted to make sure I had everything straightened out. I'm positive now though, I tested it out on you guys. Whenever I did something for the sake of somebody else, my number lowered... and it would increase when somebody made me feel better about myself."

I stare at my feet, "...Yeah, I think Spencer's right. If that's so, then it makes sense why my number increased from 1 to 11 after I talked to Thane."

"Let's say you're right... how do we get value without taking from others?" Bryce started fidgeting. I don't think he was responding well to this serious atmosphere.

"I don't think we can. The values are like energy and matter; they can't be destroyed or created. They just keep being exchanged amongst us. I did all the math, our numbers always add up to 100 exactly... If I'm correct... one of us could be stuck here forever."

Everyone grew silent... but it was I who broke it with my knife this time. "I think I know what you mean, Spencer. If all but one of us has our values drop down to 0 and leave, there will still be one person let with the 100... and nobody for them to exchange values with. I wonder what would happen after that..."

Spencer grimaced, "The _real_ question here is what will even happen to us when our number drops to 0..."

"Well... we'll either 'leave' and go back home, or..." I trailed off as I could feel Lena hugging my arm. I think she was remembering the two times I nearly dropped to nothing.

Bryce mumbled, "D-don't say it. We... we know what you mean."

"It's similar to death in the normal world, nobody knows what actually happens to the person that dies, and nobody is willing to test it themselves." Spencer sighed.

It was then that I remembered the one person who was not currently with us.

"... What about Arlo?"

Bryce rubbed his chin in contemplation, "If the five of ours numbers always add up to 100, then does that mean Arlo doesn't give or take value?"

"You know... my number has never changed after I've interacted with him."

"Mine either... Not to mention the fact that Arlo hasn't charged his phone in 8 days. There is no way his phone could still be alive, and he hasn't tried looking for it all!" I rub the palms of my hands against my cheeks, "...Should I... just say it...?"

The others got silent, but then suddenly, some kind of weird shit happened! The entire park turned radically different colors, and some things became see-through.

"Eep!" I clung to Thane's arm in my moment of fright... it's rather embarrassing to do that in front of the others, but Thane wouldn't let me move away. Of all the times he could have chosen to be stubborn...!

Bryce didn't seem to care at all (except for a small twinge of amusement that flashed across his face for just a second), "What's going on?"

"This has to be Arlo's doing...! I don't know how he's doing this, but we can't just let him continue." Spencer nodded in agreement.

"There are five of us, and one of him. We should be able to pin him down quickly if we all search in different areas of the park."

"I-is that a good idea? Shouldn't we try to stick together?"

"Well, even though staying together is a good way to stay safe, we still need to hurry up before something really shitty happens. We'll cover more ground if we split up. Let's go!" Spencer, Bryce, and Lena took off, spreading out into different parts of the park. Thane locked eyes with me for just a moment before he followed suit, but I could already tell what he meant; 'Be careful'.

* * *

I looked EVERYWHERE. LITERALLY, EVERYWHERE. There are numbers that are starting to fall from the sky... but... there's none falling at the entrance anymore? It was just a second ago...

I ran to see what was going on, and of course, I find...

"Arlo!" Arlo turned around to look me in the eyes. I jogged closer to him, "...It's really you... right?"

He just stood there for a bit, not moving or talking (and I think he wasn't breathing either).

"Uh... Arlo?"

"...Sorry, Jade. I'm... really sorry about this mess."

"What happened? What's going on?"

"Um... this place is just a little unstable at the moment. Don't worry, I just have to sort some things out. You're safe here, Jade. I can't let anything happen to you, you're my first and best friend..." He paused, "I... was kind of hoping that you guys would never find out... but..."

"...I don't know what I should do, Jade. You tell me, what should I do?"

"Telling the truth would be a good start, probably."

"Yeah... I guess that would be the right thing to do.. right?"

"Right."

* * *

We didn't have to do anything, because eventually everyone else caught up with us. However, getting things started was another thing. Nobody said a single thing for quite some time. I wouldn't be surprised if half a day had passed by the time Spencer spoke up.

"So, Arlo, mind telling us what these numbers are about?"

He gave us a sad smile, "...They're happy points. You give them to someone when you make them happy, and you get points when you are made happy by someone else. Some people give more than they take..." He gestures towards me, "...others take more than they give..." He looked in Thane's direction. I'm not sure how to interpret that. "However, I think that the best relationships are when people both give _and_ take. I wanted to be sure that you guys would all get along... so that's why I assigned you guys those numbers."

Thane took a step forward, "...What are you?"

"I'm a hamadryad." I had no idea what that was, so I kept quiet.

Lena sounded amazed, "A real one?"

Bryce did too (I'm starting to feel stupid. What is a hamadryad?), "So you aren't like us after all."

"S-sorry guys... it's all my fault..." Arlo sniffed, "...that you guys are all stuck here... This is my 'home'. I based it off the real amusement park... but I was lonely. I wanted to have a real friend..." He sniffed again, "Th-thank you guys... this has been the most fun I've ever had. I-I...I..."

Arlo burst into tears, "I-I love you guys! B-but now, you all h-hate me, because I lied. I'm a liar! All the f-fun we had together made me really happy... but it was all built on th-the lies I told. I-I'm terrible! Horrible, even!" By now, he was just blubbering all over the place.

It was quite impossible for me to be angry at Arlo when he's just crying his eyes out. "Arlo... it's okay. We...don't hate you... Right?" I turn, and look at the others for support. There is none.

"...Guys..."

Spencer (as usual) was first to break the group's silence. "I'm fucking pissed. We've probably been trapped in here for like, two weeks."

"But-"

"I would have stayed." Spencer grumbled, "Arlo, if you had just told us up-front that you just wanted to get to know us and be friends, I would've stayed. Even if this whole ordeal is pretty odd... You didn't have to use a giant glass dome and crazy numbers. Real friends trust each other."

"I-I'm sorry... you're right, Spencer."

Thane gave a deeper sigh than usual, "But... real friends also forgive each other."

Bryce grinned, "Yep~ Be more honest with us, and we should have no problems in the future."

"Well, now everything has all been dealt with."

Arlo grinned, and tears streaming down his face. "Th-Thank you..."

There was a flash of bright white light, and then everything returned to normal (or, at least, the park turned back to it's correct colors).

"It's alright now. When your happy points drop to 0, all of you will go home... So... you can leave if you want."

"W-wait. Won't somebody be left behind with all 100?" Geez, Spencer is just the chatterbox today. Maybe I'll change his name to Sir Talks-A-Lot.

"Don't worry, I'll send the person left behind back home, safe and sound."

"Wow... all 100 happy points... that person would certainly feel special!" Bryce grinned. Arlo returned the gesture.

"Yeah, but the best thing about the happy points system is that even when you give them away, you can still feel happy." Arlo sighed, "Again, sorry. If you guy will ever come visit me ever again, I promise I won't use the happy points system anymore. It's just that I was afraid that nobody would try and get along if I didn't use it, but I realize that's wrong now. Incentives weren't needed after all."

He skipped towards me, and leaned down to plant a kiss right on my forehead. I can practically _HEAR_ Thane grinding his teeth, even though his face remains calm.

"Wh-what do you think you're doing, Arlo?!" Thane screeched.

Arlo stuck his tongue out at Thane, "Jade gets a special thank you kiss! She's the one who found me when everything was getting pretty out of control, and she helped me decide what to do!... But, you guys cheered me up too, so maybe I should give everyone a thank you kiss?!" Arlo made one step forward, and Spencer ran away.

"DON'T EVEN COME NEAR ME!" Next was Thane, who promptly grabbed my arm and dragged me away.

"You don't understand modern culture at all...!"

* * *

By the time Thane stopped running around, it was nightfall. He let go, and had to lean over to catch his breath.

"Wh-what the heck, Thane? What's wrong?" Thane froze, but then slowly took out his phone, and put it right in front of my eyes.

"So... my time here's about up." On his screen was the number 1 displayed prominently. My eyes widened; this was not what I had been expecting... at all!

"...O-oh...!"

Thane stared at the ground, as well did I. "I'll be going back to the real world, huh?"

"...Y-yeah..." He must have noticed my sad tone, because he didn't reply. "...S-sorry. I just... don't know what to say... Um... I-I'll... miss you..."

He still didn't say anything. "..Uh... y-yeah... that's it..."

I _swear_ I could hear some sad music playing in the background. If I find out that Cashy is behind this...he better be praying to the elder gods.

"... It's just... I've fantasized about taking you out on dates... sending you cheesy texts messages... and all that stuff... but, it's stupid, isn't it?"

"...How?"

"Well, it's because once you go back to your old life, you'll probably forget all about me."

I felt overwhelmed by how utterly _STUPID_ that is, and I told him so. After I smacked him, that is.

"Why would you even think that?! I could never forget you... or any of this, even if I wanted to... and I don't!" Thane held onto his now sore cheek, and that seemed to be the only acknowledgement he made towards me smacking him, because he spoke quickly, voice totally serious.

"Then... can I wait for you?"

"What?"

"Once I go back... I'll wait right here until you return, so that we can be together in the real world... I-if that's okay with you, that is."

"...You're willing to wait just for me...?" Thane put his hand against my cheek, and I slightly leaned into it.

"If it's you... I don't mind waiting forever. I'll still welcome you back with open arms, even if you take a hundred years..." He paused, gazing into my eyes, "...I have to give away one last happy point before I can go... I guess I can give you my heart, because I love you, Jade. So don't forget... that I'm waiting for you."

And just like that, he was gone. My cheek had never felt colder.

* * *

I managed to see the others off with a smile, even though I'm pretty sure Bryce and Lena could see through my facade (Spencer... while he's smart, he's also stupid), because they gave me rather flattering compliments as their parting gifts. Spencer just told me that I was the only sane person, and that we should hang out sometime, if we ever meet again. For some reason, he didn't think of exchanging phone numbers, which would make 'meeting up' a hell of a lot easier. Oh well.

Now it was only me and Arlo.

When I found him, he was standing underneath the lights of the carousel. It was the next day, and quite early, but he still turned the lights on. Not that I'll complain, they look quite lovely.

Arlo swung around to me, with his arms opened wide, grinning just as big. "Congratulations, Jade."

"...What?"

"All 100 happy points are yours. You deserve them, too. You deserve all the happiness in the world!... But, it's time for you to finally go home now. It's kind of hard to say goodbye, but if there weren't any 'goodbye's, there would never be any 'welcome back's or 'hello's, right?"

"Correct."

"I'm glad that I got to say hello to all of you guys... I hope that someday I can get to say 'welcome back'. You guys can come back anytime you want... don't be a stranger, okay?"

"I'll make sure I pass that message on to the others. I can get in touch with them via the internet, since I know their names, where they live, and what they look like."

"Thanks, Jade. You're really my best friend." He smiled one last time, "...It's time to go. Goodbye Jade."

_Goodbye, Arlo._

* * *

When I came to, I was standing back at the fountain, where I had been when this whole thing happened in the first place. A staff lady of the park was running over to me.

"Hey! You! Don't you dare throw anymore change into the fountain, young lady!" Kat and Jay suddenly came springing out of nowhere, jumping at the staff lady, no doubt to restrain her. Those two... I swear, they're not right in the mind. Of course, eventually back-up staff arrived, and they took hold of the two, dragging them away. They seemed to have forgotten about me for the moment. I'm pretty certain that they started laughing, but I could be wrong... but on the other hand, I could also be right. You could never be quite sure about those two.

Remembering where I was, I decided it would be best for me to flee the scene before that staff lady remembered me.

. . .

I ran up towards the restrooms, but started silently sneaking up on Thane when he came into view. I'm apparently really shitty at it, because he turned around at just that moment, and stared at me for several short periods of time.

For the first time since I actually met him, Thane smiled a regular smile. "Welcome back, Jade."

I wasted no time in jumping into his waiting arms, "...You... You're really here..."

Thane chuckled, "Of course I am. I **did** say that I would be waiting, didn't I?"

We separated, and Thane continued speaking, "It doesn't appear like we were gone that long."

"Yeah, no kidding. I was almost jumped by the staff for 'almost throwing more change into the fountain'. Luckily, my two oddballs came to distract them... for some reason." I laugh.

Thane sighed, and looked up at the tall attractions, "I don't think I could possibly work here another day without remembering everything that happened over and over. It'll feel... weird, to say the least."

"Oh? Are you still going to work here, then?"

"Yeah... I want to be able to reminiscence about the memories I made there with you... and the others, of course."

"Well, I could come visit you while you work?" Thane's face flushed a bright pink.

"R-Really? You don't have to go through all the trouble..."

"It's no trouble, I _want_ to spend time with you. Plus... I need a tag with 'Thane' on it, since you have one with my name."

"Uh... I can call myself your boyfriend now, right?" I was about to say 'of fucking course', but he suddenly started berating himself. "W-wait, no! I have to take you on an official date first, since that one before was technically just 'hanging out'."

"So... Jade?"

"Yeah?" I grin.

"W-will you... go out with me...?"

"...Of course. You didn't even really need to ask, to be honest."

* * *

Today, I had (for some reason) followed the advice of the evil two, and wore my hair in those derpy pigtails, along with wearing a green-and-red striped shirt, and a pair of black shorts. They also made me bring this medium-sized flower ornament, insisting that it's 'for my hair'... but I was pretty sure it was a spying device, and smashed it before Thane arrived.

Speaking of which, Thane has been staring at me for the past couple of minutes.

"What is it, Thane?" He jumped a little, seeming to have only just realized that I _can_, in fact, see him staring at me.

"U-um... it's just..." He turned around, embarrassed, "Youlooknicetoday."

Shit, now it looks like I might have to actually THANK those fuckers on our next Saturday night Game Night!

"...Thanks." He spun back towards me, panicked.

"Oh geez, that must have sounded so lame... b-but I meant it!" He stopped, just so he could (of course) sigh, and put his face in his hands, "... This has already become a train wreck. I was barely able to sleep last night. I couldn't stop thinking about today, and what we should do, and-"

I decided to cut him off before he went into another long tirade, "Thane. Stop worrying so much, I'm actually having a good time."

He looked at the ground, and calmed down before he looked me back in the eyes.

"...Jade?"

"Yes?"

"I'll try to do my best... no, I **will** do my best."

"Do your best to what?"

"I'll do my best... to make sure you're happy."

Now it was _my_ turn to blush like a baby. "Oh... Th-thank you. I hope that I'll be able to make you happy too."

"You've already... made me happy. Just by being with me. Just like you said, now I can spend the rest of my life finding out new things about you one piece at a time, falling even deeper in love with you all the while..."


	3. Spencer

**At the suggestion of kitkatJMC, I have decided that I will, in fact, have a bonus chapter where all the characters get together. However, that also means that one of these routes has to be the 'true' ending for this series of oneshots. I've already got one in mind, but suggestion won't be ignored.**

**Happy new years, I guess.  
**

* * *

"...Your number's much lower than mine." A voice jolts me out of my blank thoughts (honestly, I was just staring at the phone, it's no wonder somebody managed to sneak up on me). I look up, and notice that

1. It's a boy.

2. He's _way too close __**HOLY SHIT-**_

I take a few steps back, letting out a small squeak of surprise in the process. He holds his hands up in the universal gesture of 'I'm not going to harm you'. I take that small interval of time to take in his features; kind of tall, seems to have a case of the poker face, dark blue eyes hidden behind his (rather... odd) glasses (even though they look weird... I kind of like them?), he's quite friendly with the sun, and he has a striped shirt. He looks pretty good, I admit, but there's no way I'm going to just let him off the hook for sneaking up on me and invading my personal space without saying anything!

"Chill out..."

"That's easy for you to say! Who are you?!"

He adjusted his glasses, "I'm Thane."

"Oh... well, I'm Jade." I cross my arms, "Are you stuck here too?"

"Yeah, I've been here for a few hours." My eyebrows raise in surprise. This guy has been here for _hours_? Are there even other people here?

"...I just got here. Are there others, or is it just us two?"

"I ran into some guy earlier, but when I tried to approach him, he started shouting at me and ran off." Thane looked at the dome, "I've walked all the way around the park, and the whole thing is encased in this glass. He has to be around here somewhere."

I hope that he didn't use the same 'approach' he just used on me, because that shit's going to be awkward if he did. "Maybe he was... freaked out? He'll come find us eventually."

"Yeah, he doesn't have much of a choice... Anyway, he had a number on his phone too. It was 22, and yours is 12... both are lower than mine. I wonder what decides the value of these numbers... do they change?" I tuned out his rant, I couldn't even really understand what he was talking about. Also, I was tired as fuck. Kat made us go on the spinning-based rides repeatedly until Jay (who I'm positive didn't really care) pointed out that Mel might puke soon... and he did. It was about then that we decided to leave.

I sigh; thinking of those idiots actually made me a little homesick.

"...Are you tired?" I remembered that Thane was there, and looked up at him.

"Uh... yeah."

"Alright, then why don't you go rest up at the café, and I'll meet up with you in a little while. I have to go do something." That kind of sounded suspicious, but I guess he could be planning on going to find that guy he mentioned earlier.

I nod, "Okay, see you later then... I guess."

He waves a little unenthusiastically as he jogs away.

...Sheesh, even the way he walks away rubs me the wrong way.

* * *

The little bell on the café door chimes as I walk in. Only one of the two people inside turn to me as I enter. It's rather comforting to know that there's a few more people here, I suppose. They even look like they're around my age.

The guy standing closer to the door was _extremely_ tall(!), had brown hair (like me), green eyes, and a nerdy sweater vest with an argyle pattern in the middle of the shirt. He looked pretty friendly.

On the other hand, the girl sitting in the booth by the window unnerved me slightly. Honestly, she could pass for Kat if she wasn't wearing that magenta hat, or wearing that dress (or is it a skirt that's the same shade of pink as her shirt?). They have the same short blonde hair (though Kat's is a few shades darker), and the same blue eyes with that weird vacant look in them.

Friendly guy smiles widely and waves at me as he walks towards me, "Hi! My name's Bryce, what's yours?"

His friendliness is contagious, I can't help but smile back at him. "I'm Jade."

"Nice to meet you, Jade! So, I guess you're stuck here too?... Well, I guess that's obvious, right? This situation may seem weird, but it's nice to have another one of us! You know the saying, the more the merrier!" Not just friendly, but chatty to boot? This guy is rather neat. Not my type of guy, but nonetheless, he seems pretty cool.

My eyes slowly slide over back to the girl, who has remained silent, just watching us.

"...Who's that?" Bryce looks over his shoulder, then turns back to me and shrugs.

"Beats me, she's been here since before I arrived, but she won't talk to me at all. I hope I didn't do something to offend her..."

"...Maybe I could give it a shot. A fellow girl would have a better chance, right?" I walk up to her booth slowly, but I lose my nerve the instant I get there. Her eyes are staring at me coldly, it's like she can see right through me. Luckily, I know that's impossible.

"Hi." No response. Can she sense my fear somehow?

"Uh... I'm Jade. What's your name?" Again, she doesn't show the slightest sign that she even heard me. Just for a moment, I wonder if she only speaks to certain people. Alexis would be handy in this situation, she's friendly enough.

"...Lena." I blink, and refocus back on the girl. She's tugged her hat down, hiding her eyes.

"Lena?" She gives a small jerk of the head in what is most likely a nod, and then turns around in a complete 180, staring out the window of the café. Not getting anything else, I walk back over to Bryce, who looks both pleased and sad.

"Wow, she actually talked to you!"

"But it was only her name..."

"That's way better than nothing! If it weren't for you, she'd just be 'girl'." Bryce grinned, and let out a contented sigh, "Man, today's been super exciting! I'm going to sleep so good tonight!"

"You're awfully casual about all of this... how?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, "Well~ I _was_ freaking out earlier, but now I have you two, so I can afford to relax. After all, it's way more relieving to have people who are in the same situation as you, than carrying the burden on your shoulders all by yourself, right? We can get through this together." He gave me another friendly smile. I will now nickname him Mr. Smiles.

"Yeah, you're right." I grin back at him. Bryce and I might become good friends.

Just then, an angry shout interrupted everything. "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE ALREADY?!" It was likely that this was the guy that Thane had mentioned earlier.

Speaking of which... "I'll leave you alone when you stop running and listen to me!"

"I don't need your help!"

The two of them come crashing through the door, almost taking it off the hinges (which would have been impressive). The boy that Thane had been chasing had brown hair (like me, but his was lighter, more caramel), angry eyes that were a shocking gray. They looked... rather breathtaking, to be honest. He was also wearing a rad green jacket! It was a lovely shade of green, too!

Anyway, the two of them were practically at each others' throats. They didn't even seem to notice us until Bryce separated them by force, holding the nicely-dressed boy by the back of his jacket, and using his leg to keep Thane at bay.

It was then that Thane noticed me, and stopped what he was doing, straightening up his posture. "Oh, Jade. You feeling better?"

"...Uh, yeah... What are you doing?" I stand back at a distance of five feet, not wanting to stand near a fight zone.

"I was trying to help this jerk." He pointed at Spencer. His manner was rather childish, for somebody with an unwavering poker face.

"Who's the jerk?!" The unknown guy snapped, trying to make another lunge for Thane, but Bryce overpowers him by far. Being extremely tall seems to make you have super strength as well.

Thane ignores him, and gestures towards Bryce, who is now just keeping the guy away from him. Bryce is smiling, for some reason.

"So, who's this guy?"

I watch the guy struggle to get out of Bryce's grip (and fail). "Oh, that's Bryce."

Bryce waved his free hand, "Hello!"

"...So, who's the angry guy that wants to murder you?"

Thane shrugs, "Hell if I know."

Bryce grins (again!), "Well, why don't we all introduce ourselves?" He looks at his captive (who flinches slightly), "What do you think?"

Mr. Anger Issues frowns, "...Fine."

Bryce laughs as he lets go of Mr. Anger Issues, who crosses his arms and angrily pouts (oh my god that is so adorable).

Thane starts us off, "Thane."

Bryce stares at me, and I can't help but grin. "Jade!"

"...Lena..." Everyone gives a little startled jump at Lena, who has somehow managed to sneak up behind me, and take a small handful of my shirt into her hands. Are these people ninjas? They're awfully skilled at sneaking.

Bryce looks at Mr. Anger Issues, "...Well?"

"Spencer." He spat out, side-stepping away from Bryce.

Even though I had just finished introducing him, Bryce still shouted out, "Bob!"

After a few minutes passed by, I smacked him in the arm, "That's not your name!"

He laughed, seeming to somehow find enjoyment in this rather... tense situation.

* * *

"So, we all got the same message?" The entire group nodded, "And all of our phones now display a number instead of the time, with Thane's number as 29, Jade's as 12, Spencer's as 22, Lena's as 20, and mine as 17. Relatively speaking, our numbers are rather low." Bryce had taken hold of the leader position for the moment, having been the one who had stopped a fight, and being the tallest helped too.

"I wonder why my number is the highest...?" Thane stared at his phone, as if he were trying to decipher it with some kind of psychic ability.

"Why is my number way lower than everyone else's?" I sigh.

Spencer yawns (and seems to be angered by it), "Geez, why am I so tired? It's still light out...!"

"Um... I'm kind of tired too." I mumble, kind of sleepy.

"You guys must be sick or something, I worked all day, and I still have tons of energy left over." Thane frowns.

"Maybe it's you that's sick. I wouldn't be surprised..." I heard Spencer grumble under his breath. Luckily, I don't think the others heard him, otherwise we might have had _another_ (almost) smack down. He took out his phone, and swore. "Shit, hold on. My phone is dying." I think I heard him say something about his stupid friends using his phone for taking pictures of girls, but that's just weird. Spencer ran up towards the café's power outlet, and plugs his phone in, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Well, I feel fine too... but then again, I didn't ride any rides. Maybe that's why you two are so tired?" Bryce hummed.

"...Well, I _did_ ride a bunch of those spinny rides..." I sigh. Lena silently stood beside me, not contributing anything.

Spencer stopped tapping his foot, and spun around. "I just noticed that all of our numbers add up to 100."

That was out of nowhere... but okay, I guess?

Thane looked surprised, "...You're right, but does that mean anything?"

"It has to!" Spencer looked confident, and seemed to be rather proud of his discovery.

"You can't just assume things like that." Thane just threw a verbal bomb at Spencer's self esteem, and it looked like Spencer was going to blow up at him, so I intervened.

"Well, 100 is a special number, right? It's also kind of specific, since it adds up perfectly, right?"

Spencer visibly calmed down, and smirked, "See? Even Jade agrees."

Bryce grinned, giving me a thumbs up. "Why don't we all just calm down. You two are probably just over-stressed from the events that have taken place today. How about we find somewhere to sleep, and pick back up on this tomorrow?"

Spencer snorts, "Why would I go to sleep when there's still daylight outside?"

Now everyone else (except maybe Lena,it didn't look like she cared) was confused.

"...But didn't you just say that you were tired?" Bryce pointed out.

Spencer knitted his eyebrows, seeming to remember that he did, in fact, say that. He turned to his phone, which was now alerting everyone that it was fully charged. Damn, that was quick. He stared at it for a few moments, and then his eyes widened.

"OH!" Thane raised his eyebrows in surprise, seeming to be able to analyze vague one word statements.

"Really?"

"This is way too freaky to just be a coincidence!"

Fed up with the two of them NOT TELLING US WHAT IS GOING ON, I speak up. "What are you two talking about?!"

Spencer held out his hand, "Jade, let me see your phone for a second."

I have not had very good experiences with things that start with 'let me see (insert expensive object here)', but I decided to just go with it; I'm stuck in an amusement park, what's the worst that can happen (besides a fucking fight to the death- which I hope doesn't happen. These guys seem like good people)?

"Sure, I guess." I toss it to him, and he (luckily for me) catches it easily. He switches my phone for his (we have the same model of phone chargers?), and turns back to me. He looks at me expectantly.

"Well? Do you feel different...?" A weird tickling sensation creeps over my body, and I shiver slightly.

"Uh, I feel kind of weird." He looks pleased, and presses on.

"Do you feel less tired?" I stare at him vacantly, wondering what he means, when the meaning hits me right in the face.

"...Oh my god! That's so creepy!"

Thane sighed (was he disappointed that Spencer was actually right?), "Okay, so our energy correlates with the battery life of our phones... We should probably be more careful with them. Who knows what breaking our phones will do."

"No shit." Spencer snorts, and I can't help but give a small giggle at that. I mean, really! Did he really need to state that we should be more careful? It's pretty obvious!

"Well, it's a good thing I keep my phone charger in my bag." I pat my trusty laptop bag.

Bryce sighs, looking down in the dumps. "Well, I'm out of luck. I wasn't prepared to get trapped in an amusement park today, so I didn't grab my charger. It's rather lucky that I even brought my phone, really..."

"Your in luck then, Bryce. They sell phone chargers in the cinema." Thane offered. Wow, that's ironic. They sell cell phone chargers, but don't _allow_ cell phones in the theater at all! I hadn't even noticed that... but then again, we couldn't watch a movie because of Mel getting sick. Damn, the others would have gotten a good laugh out of this.

I wonder what they're doing...

I shake my head, this is no time to be moping around. I bring my attention back to the conversation.

Bryce is back to grinning again, "R-Really? I hope they have my model..."

"Yeah, but you might want to make sure you have the money for it. Earlier, I tried to steal some popcorn from the cinema, and it locked me inside until I put the change on the counter." That's good to know, but _why did Thane even try to steal popcorn_?! That stuff isn't remotely filling!

Spencer seemed to share my feelings, "Why the hell did you even try that? Christ, this place is fucked up! Let's just focus on finding a way out of here, and keep our numbers from reaching zero."

Everyone agreed, and split up, leaving me behind.

* * *

Over the next few days, I spent a bunch of my time hanging out with Lena or Bryce (never at the same time, Lena seemed to be avoiding Bryce like the plague). I hadn't seen Spencer or Thane since we all split ways, except for when they'd start a huge fight, which was often.

Today, as I was taking a small break outside the café sipping some tea, Spencer came strolling along, and stopped right beside where I was sitting.

As I took another sip, I tilted my head up to look him in the eyes. "Yes?"

Spencer appeared to take this as an invitation to sit down, because he dragged a chair over from another table and sat across from me. He didn't say anything, so neither did I. We sat there in perfect silence for god only knows how long, but then Spencer finally broke the ice.

He sighed, and slammed his head onto the table, almost making my tea cup (which the café has, for some reason) fall over, but I stabilized it. "This is the most realistic and longest dream I've ever had... why can't I wake up now, no matter how hard I try?"

I stare at him, and rest my cheek against the arm that I have on the table (my elbow making it stick straight up). "I don't think this is a dream."

He sighs again, "I was just thinking out loud, really... but if this really happening, it's a shame we don't have a video camera. We could making a great indie movie off of this."

I chuckle, "I don't think the others would be too enthusiastic about making a movie on how we're all trapped in this amusement park."

"...Well, I guess we do have more important priorities. I don't know if it helps us or hurts us that we don't actually have to sleep anymore, since we can just 'charge up'. We're like robots."

I grimace, "But can't we still die of hunger?"

He seemed to be thinking about that for a moment, before he nodded. "We do still feel hunger, don't we? Therefore, we probably still can. It's not like I'm going to try and find out though."

"Yeah, that's probably the right notion."

"...I actually kind of missing going to sleep every night. I would usually lay on my bed until I wind down from the day's events."

"Oh yeah? What kind of things would you think about?" I was honestly interested, did Spencer think about normal things, or his anger-induced actions?

He sighed, and rubbed his forehead, "I don't know... everything? I guess I'd mostly think about a lot of stupid things that don't really matter, like last night's dinner, and things that irritate me. The irritable things usually pile up really quickly."

Wow, that wasn't the answer I was expecting. "I see your point."

He smirks, "At least someone does."

We slip back into the peaceful silence, and I offer Spencer some tea. He declines, and looks distant.

"What's wrong, Spencer?" He sighs again.

"Nothing... it's just... I wonder if anybody is even concerned about us. Have they even noticed that we're gone? If they did, it's like we just disappeared."

"It's okay, Spencer, we're bound to get out of here eventually." He gets quieter.

"...Yeah."

"So, why were you unfortunate enough to be here on opening day?" I grin, trying to lighten the mood. It seemed to have the opposite affect, because he scowled.

"My stupid friends dragged me here against my will." This type of wording reminded me of Kat, who constantly complains whenever we take her anywhere.

"...At least hanging out is fun? I mean, we're kind of hanging out right now, aren't we?" I offer him a smile to encourage him.

"I guess..." He got this awkward look on his face, and shifted around a little, finally just deciding to get up. "I'm going to go take a walk. See you."

"Alright, bye Spencer!" I wave at his back as he jogs off, even though I know he can't see me.

Why did he even come over here in the first place?

* * *

The next day, I was hanging around the arcade, playing the shooter game. I wasn't really planning on getting any prizes, I was just playing for the sake of having something to do. After a few hours, I saw Spencer walk past the window, and quit in the middle of the game, trying to catch him before he went off to wherever he goes half the time.

"Hey, wait! Spencer!" He stops in front of the cinema, and turns his head to see me. By now, it was evening, and the park's lights were all lit. Seeing his body framed by the pretty evening lights, I was distracted for a split second, and tripped over one of my own shoes (I always thought that Kat was over exaggerating). I shut my eyes, waiting for my face to make contact with the pavement... but I don't. I look up, and see that Spencer wasn't an asshole, and had grabbed one of my flailing arms. He let go after I straightened up, but he still stuck around.

"Geez, you're clumsy." My face heats up in embarrassment.

"W-Well I wouldn't have fallen if I wasn't trying to catch up to you!" Spencer looked incredibly surprised at that, and turned his head away.

"...Well, be more careful."

"...Heh!" I erupted into giggles, it was just too funny!

"What are you laughing at?!" Spencer raised an eyebrow, watching me warily, as if he was trying to figure out if he should leave or not.

"It's just... you're acting like an older brother!"

"Well... I **am **older brother, I guess. I have little twin sisters, and they drive me nuts constantly. At least being stuck here gives me a nice break away from them."

"Younger twins, huh? They sound adorable!"

He snorted, "Yeah, people usually say that when I tell them about my sisters. They may look cute, but they're actually insane."

"That's not very convincing. It seems to be a universal rule that older siblings find their younger siblings annoying, but when push comes to shove, they'll beat up the enemies that threaten them." He stared at me with an odd expression, seemingly amazed at my coolness... maybe. I hope so, anyway.

He shifted from one foot to the other, "...I think I'm going to go on a walk around the park again. I need a break."

"A break from what?"

He gestured towards our surroundings, "All of this... but then again, trying to stop thinking about it will actually make me think about it even more, huh?"

"I guess... do you still want to take that walk? Maybe having some company will help take your mind off of it."

"...Maybe. You don't mind?"

"Of course not~ We're pals, right?" I give him a smile. He turns his head away.

"...Let's go."

. . .

We chat a little bit about our school shit when we stop at the carousel.

"I'm glad that I didn't start that new book I got before this all started. I hate not being able to maintain a steady process of reading while I'm reading anything. When that happens, I have to think really hard to remember what happened the last time I read it."

I sigh, "Yeah, I know that feeling. It's even worse when it was an assignment, because then you HAVE to remember what happened."

"Seriously... if I had brought my laptop like you, maybe I could be doing something productive."

I raise an eyebrow in amusement, "Productive, huh? Like what?"

He shrugs, and gives the carousel a little kick. "Well, I could finish up my summer homework, I guess?"

"...There's only a week left until school. You still haven't finished it yet?"

Spencer frowns, "It's not like the teachers will read it anyway. I mean, geez! I wrote an essay once that was complete nonsense, I even insulted the teacher! I still got full credit for it, and she didn't say anything about it to me like she would if she had actually read it."

"Well, you just have to try anyway, I guess. You'll never know when the teacher will suddenly get serious. You know... it seems like you care about proper schooling." I grin. His shoulders stiffen, and he speaks quickly, tripping over his words.

"I-it's not like I care or anything... It's just annoying, okay? I mean, in most of my classes we don't really do anything, just listen to boring lectures and discuss topics that nobody cares about. And in the other classes, we don't do anything. My classmates just chatter like the fucking wind, and the teacher disappears somewhere for the whole period."

"Well, your school experience changes based on your view of school. Do you like it, or are you one of those guys that think it's super lame?"

"...Hmm... Do I like it, you ask? Well, it's okay... most of the time."

I laugh at his bashful answer, and we continue on our walk well into the night, but we eventually split up and agree to do this again soon.

* * *

The next morning, I walk around, but I can't find anyone. Are we unofficially playing a game of hide and go seek?

I sneak around the park, trying to locate anyone, but I don't find jack. As I get near the Alix the Cat gift shop, though, I hear the irate voice of Spencer fighting Thane, and I jog over towards the restrooms.

For some reason, Bryce, Spencer, and Thane are all just hanging around, with a broken.. robot/machine thingy lying on the ground in front of them. Whatever it is, it's emitting some kind of strange aura. Creepy.

They all turn to me as I walk up to them, but only Spencer speaks up.

"Oh, it's just Jade."

"Uh, hi. What's that?" I point at the machine.

Thane shrugs, "Dunno. It's some kind of machine though."

Spencer once again speaks my inner thoughts, "Thanks for that, Captain Obvious."

Thane glared at him, and there might have been another fight, but Bryce clamped his hand down on Spencer's shoulder. Spencer stiffened, but forced himself to calm down.

"Well, we shouldn't waste our time on this thing, we don't even know what's wrong with it." Spencer snapped his head up, and smirked at me.

"Finally, somebody _smart_!"

Thane sighs, "But what if this thing has something to do with our numbers?"

"That could be used as an excuse for everything. For all we know, the toilets could have something to do with our numbers. You want to fix a toilet?" Thane looked aggravated now.

"Robots have data. What if it's data that corresponds with these numbers? Maybe we'll end up wasting our time, but we could also move one step closer to leaving. We won't know until we try."

Bryce gives a small smile, "I also think that we fix it, since we don't really have any solid plan on getting out of here quite yet."

"...I guess." Bryce is kind of intimidating... that height, along with his strength and cheeriness, he has to be able to do some kind of heinous shit.

Thane looked down at the machine, "Well, it looks like it's an easy fix, but I think some parts are missing."

"Then why should we bother trying? There's no way that the missing parts are just lying around." Spencer grumbled, getting him yet another glare from Thane.

"Well, we won't know until we actually look!" His tone sounded angry, and I took a few side-steps away from him.

"Sheesh, why are you so serious about this? It's just a broken piece of shit."

"It could be important!" Mr. Smiles then decides to step in to play the mediator.

"Has anyone seen Lena?"

"Wasn't she with you?" I vaguely recall seeing the two of them walking around together yesterday before I went to the arcade. Bryce seemed to be doing most of the talking, but he looked happy enough. Good for him.

Bryce sighs, "No matter how hard I try, she either avoids me completely or just ignores me..."

"Maybe she just doesn't like you, Bryce." Spencer dropped the blunt bomb right over Bryce's head.

I tried taking the topic off of the table, "Well, I can look for her while I search for parts, okay? No problem."

Spencer groans, "There's no way we're going to find all the missing parts."

Bryce laughs, "Then we'll worry about that later. For now, let's at least try."

Spencer sighs, and they all split up, taking off in different directions. I don't think Spencer is actually going to look, I think he just went towards the roller coaster. As I strolled away, my phone let out that weird satanic laugh, signaling another message.

"Geez... what the?"

_**When falling damp tree unveils ghost**_

"...Wow, this doesn't even make sense. Is the texter suffering from brain damage?" I wonder if I was the only one to get a text like this, and I decide to discuss it with the others later. Right now, I have robot parts to find.

* * *

I decide to start at the entrance. I sift through the coins in the fountain, but I don't find shit. I don't even know what I'm looking for...

I walk over to the poor house, and find a weird... candy-like metallic object sticking out of the ground between the pool and the pool house. I grab it, just in case. It wasn't there before, so it's safe to assume that it's the part, right?

After that, I trudge over to the actual pool to see if a part fell into the pool or something, but there's nothing there, so I walk up further north to the café.

When I get there, I see something sparkling from behind the chair I was sitting in yesterday. I get closer, and it's actually an object that's identical to the one I found at the pool house. That has to be more than a coincidence. I pocket it, and jog over to the arcade. When I was at the fountain, I think something was directing the sunlight right in my eyes, I was almost rendered blind!

Of course, I find the culprit... another part that is _STUCK IN THE FUCKING WALL. _HOW THE HELL DID IT GET THERE?

SERIOUSLY, THE OTHER TWO WERE JUST LYING ON THE GROUND; WHY IS THIS ONE STICKING OUT OF THE FUCKING WALL?!

I jump up, and try to reach it all on my own, but it doesn't work, so I had to grab a stool from inside the arcade. Even after that, I had to struggle to rescue the part from the evil clutches of the arcade wall, and when it came out I almost fell off the stool. Luckily, I prevented my death by clinging to the wall.

After that stressful encounter, I make my way towards the cinema, and crawl around on the ground to find it, because there is a shit ton of objects obstructing my view. After a half hour, I finally find it hidden behind the feet of the Mr. Antitouch statue.

I take a small break and buy a water bottle from the cinema's concession stand, and drink it as I walk to the carousel to look. It doesn't even take me half a second to see the piece of metal sitting on the carousel reflecting the sunlight into my eyes. Geez, these things are too bright. I pick it up, and count my parts. I only have five. I don't know how many there are, but it'd probably just be best if I finish looking around, just to be sure.

I jog up to the ferris wheel, but there's nothing there. Just a bunch of colorful balloons tied to a cart, what a bummer. I kick the cart, and walk towards the roller coaster, hoping to get better results on my last area of searching.

Happily for me, I emerge victorious! There was a part just lying on the back of the last seat of the roller coaster. I was about to turn and regroup with the others... but then I saw the back of Spencer's caramel head. He's over at the edge of the dome, underneath the roller coaster. What's he doing?

Curious, I sneak up on him.

"Hey Spencer, what are you doing?" He jumps a little, and I had to smother a laugh as he turned around.

"What?" It was then that I noticed the large panel of the dome that he had been writing on with a marker. It looked fairly elaborate, and some things were crossed out.

"...Did you write all of this?" Upon taking a closer look, I noticed that in the middle of it all was the message in the weird text I got earlier; I guess I wasn't the only one to get that text after all. "Oh, you got this weird text too?"

"What? Did you get it too?... This wall was pissing me off, so I decided to take my anger out on it, and use it for... stuff. Then I got this stupid message, so I've been spending my time here trying to decipher it, rather than look for the stupid robot parts for stupid Thane. I haven't really figured out what it means yet."

He turned back to the wall, and I move to stand beside him.

"About half of this shit is just junk. I... just needed to get all my ideas out." Not only is there that message, but there are numbers written all over the wall.

"Oh, you're trying to figure out the meaning of our numbers?" I smile at him, and he kicks the dome.

"Yeah. I have a few theories, but they have tons of holes in them. I'm pretty sure our numbers rise whenever we charge our phones... but other things also seem to raise our numbers. However, I can't figure out what makes them drop, since the numbers are practically inconsistent." Spencer sighs.

I... was rather impressed by how much thought he's put into this. Maybe this is where he's been hiding out the past week (well, when he wasn't busy fighting Thane)?

"...Is there anything I can do to help?" His eyes widened, he looked insanely surprised.

"Like what...?"

"I don't know, that's why I asked."

He shrugged, and crossed his arms. "I don't know either... do you have any ideas?"

NOPE. "...Maybe our numbers have something to do with how we interact?"

"Well, that's highly probable, but the final question is what exactly do we do to affect our numbers?"

Brain dead, I can only trip over my own words, "...Uh..."

Spencer sighs, and waves a hand at me. "Don't worry about it, if I need anything later, I guess I can just ask you for help."

I grin, and then remember that I probably got all of the robot parts, and pull them out of the pocket of my hoodie.

"Oh, well, I have quite a few parts, so we should probably go regroup with the others."

"Really? I'll laugh if Thane didn't find shit. This is his fault."

As we were walking back to the broken robot, we ran into Lena by the roller coaster. I jog up to her, and place my hand on her shoulder. Apparently, I caught her by surprise, because she jumped two feet into the air before she turned around, immediately calming down when she saw it was me.

"Oh, it's you, Jade." She saw Spencer standing in the background, "...and him."

"Lena, we're all meeting up by the restrooms. You want to come with us?" She took a fistful of my shirt, and nodded.

"...Yeah. I don't mind being around you."

"Is there something wrong with the others?" She slumps down, and tugs her hat over her eyes.

"No... it's just... I can't look at tall people. I get nervous and lose my voice whenever I see somebody looking down at me... That's why I wear this hat, it's to block the view of the world above."

"...Is that why you can't talk to Bryce?" She twitched at the mention of him. Does she not even like the mere mention of Bryce? Poor guy.

"..Um... Bryce... is just a bit too tall for comfort... but then again... I'm really short, even for a girl... so most people tower over me..." What. She's practically my height! Well, that's a blow to my self esteem...

"Well, maybe with some training, you can look into Bryce's eyes. We'll use Spencer as a test dummy." I heard him complain quietly, and I turn to him with a small smile, "What? Is that a problem, Spencer?"

He stopped, and slowly made his way over to the two of us. "...No, I guess I don't mind. We can talk about this later, okay? Let's go."

* * *

"Are you serious? Jade was the only one who found anything?" Spencer sneered at Thane, who stood slightly in front of us. I had to stand beside him, because Lena was still hiding behind me.

Anyway, Thane didn't look too pleased about it either, but he ignored Spencer's remarks.

"Well, we're still missing a couple of screws, but it shouldn't be a problem." Before Thane was even able to get started working, Bryce pulled out his phone.

"Was I the only one to get another weird text earlier?"

"You too, Sweater Vest? Jade and I were just talking about it a little while ago."

Thane fished his phone out of his pocket, "Yeah, I got it too. Maybe it was a bad case of auto correct?"

Even though I can kind of tell that he was kidding, I still want to know if Thane is as stupid as I'm starting to think he is.

Spencer snorted, "Yeah, sure, whatever nerd. Meanwhile, I wouldn't be surprised if this was actually from whoever sent us the first text, or even if it was whatever trapped us here in the first place."

Bryce smiles, "It has to mean something... maybe we have to read it a certain way?"

I take the first shot, "...'Ghost unveils damp tree falling when'?" Nope.

Bryce tries next, "'Falling tree ghost when damp unveils'...?" Nope.

I like this, it's like I'm a detective. "'Unveils damp when ghost tree falling'?" Nah... this is hard.

Next, Thane and Spencer started speaking gibberish. I have no idea what Spencer was doing, but it just seemed like Thane was speaking backwards. Either way, I think both of them just lost five IQ points. Of course, Lena didn't say anything. I think she wasn't even paying attention to what was happening. Maybe she was thinking over what I suggested to her earlier?

Anyway, "You guys aren't making any sense at all."

Spencer sighed, and stuffed his phone back in his pocket. "Well, let's just table this for now."

Hehe. I bet he's just planning on solving it himself. Oh well, he said he'd ask me if he ever needed help. Thane looked annoyed, but he said nothing, and instead held his hand out to me.

"Give me the parts, Jade. I'm going to fix this robot." I was kind of doubtful that he could even do that, but I passed them to him anyway.

* * *

An hour passed by since Thane began working on the stupid looking robot. Spencer, Lena, and I spent it working on Lena's confidence on talking to people taller than her. I kind of felt bad for Bryce, who just stood off to the side in the background, he looked kind of sad and lonely. He tried to join us and see what we were doing, but we couldn't have that, so he's just standing there. I thought we were making good progress, but then Thane ruined everything by finishing.

"And... that should do it. It should work properly now, even without those last few screws." Thane took a step back from the robot, and wiped the grease off on his pants. He had fixed it up pretty good, not gonna lie. He put the weird piece that had plug-ins back in it's slot, then fixed the tires, putting them back in place, and setting it back up straight.

We stood there for about five minutes, until Spencer started laughing at Thane. "See? It's not working. We told you this was a waste of our time. You made Jade run around for nothing."

"Well, uh, maybe we should kick it?" I suggested, and was about to do just that, when the robot started making this weird noise, and it's eyes lit up.

Bryce grinned, "Wow, Thane! You did it! It's really working!"

The robot started speaking in a weird, creepy voice that sent chills down my back, even though it hasn't done anything to me...yet. "My name's Cashy, it's nice to meet y'all."

Lena gave a tiny smile, peering at it from behind me. "...Cute..."

Spencer ignored her (which is the logical thing to do right now), "So... Cashy. What exactly do you do?"

Cashy seemed to be delighted that Spencer asked, because he then started spinning around in place, almost like a dance. "I eat, sleep, drink, and party all night long with the most beautiful women known to mankind!"

"...W-what?" Cashy abruptly stopped, and grinned, but still had a serious look to him.

"Nah, I'm kidding. I wish that were true. I'm actually just a robot that stores and deposits money."

"Oh, so you're like an ATM?" Cashy stopped what he was doing, and zoomed up to Lena and I. Spencer looked at it warily.

"Why hello there, Girly. You are indeed right, you've just got to plug in your charger into me, and I exchange money for battery life! Though, I might give the two of you discounts... maybe..." Cashy slowly inched forward, until Spencer kicked it over.

"Knock it off, you little creep. Just tell us about this damn place. What the hell's with these numbers?" Cashy frowned for a moment, but then the creepy smile crawled back onto his/its face.

"Hell if I know. I'm just here to supply cash. With cash, you can get anything! Even these two lovely ladies... by the way, you know what to do if you change your minds, girlies! Tally ho!" With that, Cashy wheeled away, whistling a tune of some kind as he purposely ran over Bryce's foot.

"Ow!" Bryce looked like a kicked puppy as he rubbed his foot. Poor guy!

"Are you okay, Bryce?" I stared at him. He looked like he might cry, but at the same time he didn't.

"Y-yeah, it just smarts." I nodded, and turned to Spencer. For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to look him in the eyes, so I just kicked his shoes instead.

"Uh, thanks for saving us from that creep, Spencer. Much appreciated and all that..."

He sounded kind of grumpy, "No problem. I knew we should have just left that thing for scrap metal."

I think I heard Lena give a soft laugh, "...Cute."

I don't even want to know what she was commenting on. I hope it was Cashy.

Spencer sighed, ignoring Lena (did he hear her too?), "Well, we wasted all that time looking and fixing it, but we still don't know a single thing."

Bryce pouted, "I hope we can get out of here soon, I'm starving."

The rest of us mumble in agreement, and Thane mentions that there's food in the café (why didn't I remember that? I HAD TEA THERE!), but that we need the correct amount of money. This reminded me of his popcorn blunder, and I almost started laughing. I think Spencer might have noticed my almost futile attempts, because he smirked, and started not-so-quietly snickering. I think Thane took no notice... or just pretended to, whichever.

Bryce silenced everyone with his childish nature, "What would happened if we didn't have money, but ate something anyway? Would we be locked in forever?"

"We don't have time for your weird questions, Sweater Vest." Spencer snapped at him. I think the hunger is really getting on Spencer's nerves. Trying to be the helpful team mate and good friend, I volunteer.

"I'll go, just tell me what you guys want and I'll get it."

"Seriously?" Spencer raised an eyebrow at me.

"Are you sure you don't mind, Jade?" Bryce frowned.

"Yeah, it's no problem. I can borrow cash from my friend's wallet if I absolutely need it. I'll just pay him back when we leave." I pull out Mel's wallet, and play with it in front of my face, making it look like it's dancing.

"...Well, if you're sure your friend won't mind..." Thane didn't sound too sure, so I gave them a wide smile and ran away before anyone could tell me not to.

It's not like I'm being unfair. If Mel hadn't lost hid god damned wallet in the first place, I wouldn't be here! ...Though, the same could be said for the others. Why the hell didn't Alexis go? She's nice. It's probably a good thing that Kat or Jay didn't go for it, they would not spare Mel at all when this would be over... if it's ever over.

Curse my good nature!

The others went into the Alix the Cat gift shop, which is kind of cozy. It also has a table (so does the café for that matter, but I guess they just got tired of it?). I shake my head of all these unneeded thoughts, and purchase the large quantity of food. There's five of us, and the others seem like they'd eat a lot (except maybe Lena... but then again, size can be deceiving), so buying the most I can is probably the right idea.

I struggle to get out the door of the café, and stop abruptly when I hear the alert of my phone; is it another text message? These always come at the worst times, I swear...

Muttering a few curses, I carefully set down all the food, and take out my phone. Thankfully, it's not another cryptic text. Thank god, I hate puzzles.

Unfortunately, it was actually my phone alerting me that my number had somehow dropped to 4. How did it get that low? I distinctly remember having a 20 just earlier today, when I was talking to Spencer!

Fuck, there's no way I'm letting the others see this, they will flip their shit, if Bryce doesn't die of a heart attack first (poor Bryce, he's too much of a good guy than is probably healthy).

I stick my phone back into my pocket, but before I can pick all the food back up, I catch a fleeting glance of flaming red hair, and stop cold.

Nobody in the group has red hair.

I refocus, and notice that the hair is actually standing still, and that the boy (looks around my age) below it is staring at me with his mouth hanging open slightly.

"...A person...!" His whole body suddenly seemed to radiate happiness, and he started skipping towards me, a goofy smile on his face. Without meaning to, I take a few troubled steps back (and almost stepped on the food, god damnit). No problem though, because he just took the extra initiative to skip even closer.

"Hello!" Whoever this is, they're awfully enthusiastic about meeting total strangers. However, I don't blame him, what with being stuck in an amusement park and all.

"Oh, uh... hi."

"What's your name?"

"Me?" I wanted to smack myself. OF COURSE HE MEANS ME! THERE'S NOBODY ELSE IN THIS VICINITY (at the moment)! "... I'm Jade."

He grinned even wider, "What a lovely name! I like it! I'm Arlo!"

"It's... nice to meet you, Arlo." It's hard for me to speak to nice people sometimes. Maybe that's why I'm friends with the people I associate with. "So, uh, when did you get here?"

He suddenly got fidgety, "...I don't think it was too long ago, but this place is so big, I got lost the moment I got here!"

"So you're trapped here like the rest of us..." I was almost beginning to wonder what kind of 'qualification' we have to meet in order to get here, since there's no way we were just randomly chosen to disappear in an amusement park jam-packed with people, when Arlo suddenly took on a weird elated/shocked tone.

"W-what?! Th-there are other people here?!" My eyes widened, and I would have taken another step back, if it weren't for the food. Speaking of which, the others are probably getting hungry.

"Y-yeah, you should come join us for lunch. They're all nice." Except for Thane, who I still have a slight grudge against for that first stunt. What can I say? I can really hold a grudge. He's really lucky none of the others are here, actually... Jeez! I need to stop thinking about what will never happen!

Arlo let out a nervous laugh, "Oh, phew! I was freaking out because I couldn't find anyone! I thought I was stranded here all alone!"

Poor guy! At least I found somebody else within the first ten minutes of my arrival, even if it was a rather... unwanted encounter. I can't imagine being lost for hours, not knowing if you were the only one here... that sounds horrible!

Arlo brought me back out of my thoughts, "Hey, Jade!"

"Y-yes?" I blinked.

"Will you be my friend?" It was a harmless little question, right? I didn't see any possible down sides, or catches. He looks kind of pitiful, actually.

"Sure, of course I will, Arlo." His eyes sparkled, and he looked like a puppy that was just praised and given a treat.

"Really?"

I give him a lopsided smile, "Yeah, why wouldn't I?"

He smiled, and calmed down... and then enveloped me in a tight hug. "I like you, Jade! You're nice."

"...You look like a good guy too, Arlo." I pry myself out of his arms, "C'mon, let's go. The others might be getting testy with me taking so long."

"Okay! Yay, new people!"

I didn't ask him to (although I admit I was hoping for it), but he took all of the food bags away from me, following me like a baby duckling follows its mother.

* * *

"It's about time, Jade! I thought I was going to die of hunger!" Spencer groaned when I walked through the door, although he looked surprised that I didn't have any food with me. He was about to open his mouth and ask, when I shuffled aside to let Arlo walk in. I directed him to the table (even without my help, it seemed like he already knew where he was going?), and he spread the food down across the table.

"Who's this?" Bryce grinned at Arlo.

"Oh, this is Arlo. He just got here-" I was interrupted by Arlo's enthusiastic "Hello!"

"-he's pretty friendly."

Bryce initiated another name listing, with Thane going first (again).

"Thane!"

"Spencer." Spencer was giving Arlo some kind of look. I wasn't really able to tell what it was.

Lena tried to look up at the rest of us, but she turned her head down at the last second. I guess we have to just keep trying. "...Lena."

I was slightly distracted by Lena, I didn't even realize what I was doing at first when I raised my hand. "Jade!... Oh, wait... you already know my name... n-never mind..."

I covered my face with my hands as Bryce finished it up, "Bob!"

Immediately, I retorted, "Your name is Bryce!"

He laughed loudly, but managed to calm down enough to ask a simple question, "So, Arlo, where are you from?"

I don't know why this question was only brought up now. Shouldn't we have asked each other this in the beginning?

Arlo gave a tiny smile, "I live here, in East Cigam."

Thane raised an eyebrow, "Really? I do too. Maybe we've seen each other before."

"I don't think so." Arlo shook his head, as if he was positive about it. How was he absolutely sure?

"Whatever... South Cigam for me." Spencer disregarded the two's conversation, and I don't blame him, really. He glanced over at Bryce, "Let me guess, Sweater Vest is from West Cigam?"

"...How did you know?" Bryce had surprise written all over his face. It was funny.

"...Lucky guess."

I caught on to what Spencer meant by that, and had to muffle my giggles. Bryce looked at me curiously, and it looked like it suddenly dawned on him what was going on.

"Y-you think I'm weird?" Bryce got that kicked puppy look again, and I almost felt bad for him. Almost.

Spencer snorted as he quoted the rumor, "'Weird things happen in West Cigam'. Your weirdness probably infected the rest of us somehow."

I tried to stop it before Spencer would eventually manage to make Bryce either cry, or get angry. "So, uh, what about you, Lena? Where are you from?"

It took her a while, but Lena finally looked up into my eyes, "North Cigam."

Progress! Then, I realized something.

"Oh wow, we're all from different parts of Cigam!" Hm. Maybe this factors into the 'qualifications' I was thinking about earlier? One from each section of Cigam?

"...Wait, where are you from, Jade?" Thane's monotone voice brought me back out of my thoughts. Darn, why is everyone not letting me think?... Then again, it was rather rude of me to not answer like everyone else.

"Central Cigam." I caught Spencer looking at me, curiosity painted on his face. It was a rather nice change from his... other faces. Kind of adorable?

"Seriously?" Well... that was not the word I was expecting.

"Is there something wrong with that?" I think I sounded harsher than I meant to, because he started reeling backwards (verbally, of course).

"N-no, of course not! I just meant... uh, what's it like living there?" I got brief flashbacks of the various stereotypical people in my school, and how often the police cruise by it.

I shake my head free of those thoughts, "Pretty normal, I guess?"

"Oh, really?" I wonder if he somehow managed to read my mind. That does not sound too pleasant.

"Wh-what did you think I was going to say?" Not that cops frequent my school, I hope.

Spencer sighed, "I don't know, really... I've never actually been over there."

Bryce grinned, "Maybe after we leave, we can take a large tour around each others' neighborhood."

"Sure, I don't mind." I shrug. Doesn't sound too bad, as long as I don't bring them to my school.

Thane suddenly took on a serious attitude, and looked at Arlo. "Hey, Arlo. What's your number?"

"...My phone number?" Arlo looked confused.

"...No. The number on your phone, what is it?" Seeing that the explanation did nothing to alleviate Arlo's confusion, Bryce held his phone out for Arlo to see, and spoke in a tone you use to explain things to children.

"All of our phones display a number instead of the time." I glanced at Arlo out of the corner of my eye, and he looked... nervous? Maybe it was just because of Thane's suddenly serious tone, after our friendly banter.

"Really? I didn't notice..." He rummaged through his pockets nervously, and then started looking around, finally just giving up and turned back to us with a shrug. "Um, where is it..."

Spencer almost choked on the drink I got him, "What?"

Arlo gave us an awkward smile, "I think I dropped it somewhere when I was running around earlier... It's not the first time I've lost it, I'm pretty skilled at losing things."

Spencer moved closer to Arlo (which actually put him next to me, our shoulders were almost touching... suspicious?), "This is bad..."

"What is?"

"You won't be able to charge your phone if you don't have it!" Again, this stuff just seemed to fly right over Arlo's head, because he gave Spencer and amused smile.

"Well, yeah. And?" Spencer sighed, and shook his head.

"...Right. You're new to this." He pulled out his phone out, and so did the rest of us (synchronization?), "It appears that our energy corresponds directly to the battery life of our phones. If we don't keep charging them, we'll get exhausted."

That actually seemed to get to Arlo, because he suddenly looked alarmed, "R-really?! That's weird... Oh man... this is bad, isn't it?"

Thane spoke back up (is he getting lonely from being left out or something? Lena never seems to get lonely), "Well, we could call your number as we walk around the park... unless you left it on silent."

Arlo sighed sadly, "I-I did... b-but my phone has a pretty long battery life, so we'll probably find it before it runs out?"

Now Spencer sighs, and he glanced over at me as he was putting his phone away, but he did a double take. What's his problem?

His eyes widened, and he looked frightened (another adorable face!), "J-Jade, what happened to your number?"

SHIT, I forgot all about it because of Arlo! And fucking hell, why did SPENCER have to be the one to find out?! I didn't want any of the others to know, but I didn't want him to know most of all! What if he thinks I didn't want to trust him, even though we're like, best friends!

I fidgeted under his intense gaze, "...I-I don't know. It just dropped suddenly..."

Thane narrowed his eyes, "Jade's number went from her initial 12 to 4... Mine went from 29 to 35, Bryce's: 17 to 15, Lena's: 20 to 24... and Spencer's number stayed the same at 22."

Bryce's kicked puppy face activated again, but this time it was for somebody else (me). "But Jade, your number is getting dangerously low..."

Thane looked annoyed by something, "...I thought I was onto something, but after seeing your guys' numbers... I just don't know..."

Spencer snorted, but his heart didn't really seem to be in it, "Yeah, everyone remember that one time when this whole thing made sense? No? Me neither."

"Um, can you think of anything that you've done that might have caused this to happen?" Bryce looked like he didn't know what to do, he was shifting back and forth a lot.

"I-I don't know..."

"I think you were right, Jade. Maybe our social interactions **do** affect our numbers." Thane looked oddly irritated at the hint of Spencer and I discussing things in private.

"...Maybe, but how?"

"My head hurts!" Arlo whined.

This was starting to get out of hand. I _knew_ they would react like this! I'm really not worth all this trouble...

"Uh... guys?" I quickly got their attention. "It's... It's okay if my number drops to zero."

There was a deadly silence, but then Arlo broke it.

"...Wh-what?" I don't know if he knew what would happen, but I guess he picked up on everyone's worry.

"I mean, well- once it drops to zero, I'll be able to leave, right? At least then I won't have to worry about this mess anymore..."

Spencer spoke quickly (and angrily), "No way."

I admit, I was surprised at how quickly he reacted. "Huh?"

"You don't- You can't get to leave just like that. Things don't get to be that easy for you. That's... too unfair for the rest of us." The entire time he was talking, Spencer was staring straight into my eyes. It almost made me think that he wasn't even talking for the sake of the group, but that's nonsense, right?

"...But..." Thane cleared his throat, getting our (by that I mean mine and Spencer's) attention.

"...I agree with Spencer. We really only have each other right now, so we shouldn't try to focus on losing each other." Lena didn't say anything, but she stumbled over and gave me a hug, like a hug a little girl would give her mother (that's kind of awkward, since we're the same height, but whatever). It was too adorable, I almost died.

Bryce tried to look cheerful, but I could tell that he was still in the puppy pit. "Um, please try to be stronger for us."

Arlo started to pet my hair, and I instinctively tried to shrink down, letting out a small 'eep' with every petting. "It's okay, everything's gonna be all right, Jade."

"B-but what about your phone, and getting out of here, and-" Arlo shifted his hand to cover my mouth now, which was an indirect way of telling me to shut up, I guess. After I stopped trying to talk through his hand, he casually slung his arms over my shoulders in a loose hug. Spencer looked relatively pissed.

"Let's just try to focus on one problem at a time." Thane sighed, and then took a large chomp out of some funnel cake.

"Yeah, don't worry about me, Jade. I'll find my phone eventually, I always do."

"O-okay." It was then that Spencer seemed to reach the end of his fuse, because he smacked Arlo's hands off of me, tugging me (and Lena, who was still clinging to me) behind him.

"Knock it off with the skin-ship already. Let's just eat." Bryce grinned deviously.

"Alright! After this, why don't we go on a 'tour', and experience all the things the park has to offer, just to get our minds off things. What do you think, Jade?" He turned to me, which actually put me in the spotlight again. I can't stand having all the attention on me!

"Uh, um... That sounds like fun, I guess?" Somehow, that decided it.

* * *

We decided to set out the next day, so that 'the fun will be maximized' -Bryce. Whatever, not going to complain... anyway, we all agreed to meet up at the ferris wheel.

When I got there, though, Spencer was the only one there. I waved at him as I approached, but he didn't return it. He looked sulky, for some reason.

"What's wrong, Spencer?" I tilted my head, confused, but curious.

"Today's just one of those days where I don't feel like talking to anybody..." That's obviously not the real issue, but it's still kind of amusing.

It had a fatal flaw, though, and I made sure to point it out, "You're talking to me, though."

His face turned a light pink, "...Y-yeah, so? Would you rather I just ignore you?"

"No, definitely not. However, if you really don't mind talking to me, what's actually bothering you?"

"It's nothing... just..." He sighed, the pink fading from his face, "I can't tell if I regret coming here or not (another sigh)... Not that it really matters anyway."

"Why would you not regret coming here?" That's odd, he's been the one complaining about this whole ordeal the most.

"That's one of the few things I don't know. It's like... like this was all supposed to happen."

"You mean like fate and destiny?"

"...I guess?" Our discussion was then interrupted by the others arriving, led by cheery-man Arlo.

"Yay! Riding the ferris wheel with Jade~!" He started skipping in place, looking super pumped.

"Arlo, I've already told you that we have to split into groups, since one cabin can't hold all six of us." Thane sighed, exasperated. I felt kind of sorry for him.

Bryce handed me a small sheet of paper designating where each of the four guys would be sitting. When had they made this? "Thane's going with Arlo, I'm going with Spencer, and Lena wants to ride alone."

"...Um, I'll ride with Jade, if she wants to..." Lena didn't even tug her hat over her eyes this time. Again, progress!

Bryce still looked like that kicked puppy that he is. "O-oh... okay."

Arlo, not seeming to care about the small amount of drama that just took place, started to try and (jokingly) drag me over to him and Thane. "Jade, come with us!"

Spencer kicked (and I mean **kicked**) Arlo's arms away. "Geez, she can make her own decisions, Arlo. Let her choose where she wants to go."

I didn't have a very good feeling about riding with Arlo'n'Thane, so... "I'll go with Spencer and Bryce."

* * *

The second the ride started moving, the three of us fell into a deep silence. It was getting increasingly more awkward, and I was starting to regret not going with Lena. Not the other two, because I had a clear view of their cabin above us, and it looked like Arlo was jumping around in the cabin, causing Thane to flip his shit.

I was amusing myself just watching the two, but then Bryce interrupted my fun by talking to me. It's not that big of a deal, I'd rather talk to the two of them, really.

"Hey, Jade?"

"..W-what?"

"What's your favorite color?" Bryce smiled. That's... an odd question.

I answered it nonetheless, "It's green."

Jade green to be specific. Haha, irony, huh? So funny.

"Oh, Really?"

"Yeah. Why?"

His smile widened, "A lot of people that like green are honest and humble, yet fairly sociable."

Oh, geez. That has to be a lie. Just look at Jay and Kat!

Spencer scooted away from Bryce (and towards me), "...Was the silence getting to your head or what? That's a random thing to ask."

Bryce looked surprised for just a moment, but then he laughed, "What? Oh! No, I ask almost everyone I meet that question."

"...So you determine their personalities based on their favorite color?" Spencer snorted. "Charming."

Bryce started waving his arms around, "No, I don't judge people just because they like a certain color! I just observe their behaviors and speech to see how similar or different they are to the other people that like the same color."

"Is that a hobby, or something?"

"Not really, it's more of an interest... I'm a psychology student."

Spencer looked bored, "That explains a whole lot..."

Bryce raised an eyebrow, and then smiled innocently, "So, Spencer. What's **your** favorite color?"

"Huh? Me? I don't have one." Bryce snickered.

"Oh, I see. You're one of _those_ guys."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Spencer snapped, annoyed.

Bryce looked at me, who was just sitting there watching the two of them interact. "Jade, what do you think?"

"Doesn't it just mean he doesn't care?"

"Well, that's more or less true about most people who don't have a preferred color."

Spencer sighed, "You know that colors are just colors, right?"

"Well then, you wouldn't mind wearing a pink shirt then, right?" I teased him.

He looked slightly flustered, "N-no! I won't!"

"Oh, so you **do** care?" I laughed at him, making him pout a little (adorable!), his face that same (adorable!) shade of pink from earlier.

"S-shut up."

Bryce laughed along with me, but he seemed to be laughing at something else. I wonder what.

* * *

Next was the roller coaster, and it looked like Thane was having some serious problems with that. His tan skin actually lost some of its color, if that was humanly possible. Is it? I don't know.

Anyway, he looked super nervous. "Are you guys sure you want us to go on this thing? What if it's not running properly, and we all die?"

Spencer smirked at him, "What? Are you scared?"

"O-of course not." Thane gave the obvious response, but it was still clear as day that he was lying.

"Isn't it just perfect that there's enough seats for all of us then, Thane?" I was beginning to wonder if Bryce was actual the devil reincarnate, or he was actually just that cheerful.

Arlo squealed like an excited little girl, "Eee! This is going to be so much fun!"

This is how we ended up:

Last row: Spencer and I (of course)

Middle row: Arlo and Thane

Front row: Lena and Bryce (Spencer and I may or may not have forced this to happen)

On the way up, Spencer and I just had some normal banter.

For instance, Spencer asked: "So, are you a roller coaster person?"

"I'm okay with them." Spencer seemed to just disregard what I said.

"I bet you're scared."

"I am not!" At the very least, I'm not **nearly** as scared as Thane is, that's for sure. If he throws up, I'm going to be so pissed.

Spencer crossed his arms, "You should scream as loud as you can."

"...Wh-what? Why? For the experience?"

"No... I don't know, maybe I'd just like to see the scared and clingy side of you for once." I almost didn't hear him over Thane's screaming (why the hell is he screaming? We're not even at the top), but I did, and it shocked me rather severely.

"...What did you say...?" I spoke slowly.

Spencer seemed to finally realize what he said, because he started backtracking really fast, "H-huh? W-wait! N-no, I mean.. I didn't mean to say that! I meant to say-"

Of course, we were interrupted at the critical point by the roller coaster finally reaching the top, and it began rocketing down the course.

When we got to the end of the track, Bryce got out carrying Thane, who apparently passed out.

Arlo was concerned, "Oh no, what happened to Thane?" Had Arlo never seen somebody unconscious before?

Bryce, of course, smiled (devil?). "He just fainted, Arlo. He'll be fine."

"Geez, how lame is that?" Spencer scoffed, and then turned his attention to me (lucky me! I'm almost as important as Thane!...Wow, that came out wrong). "So..."

"Yeah?" The moment my eyes connected with his, he gave up.

"Oh, nothing." I certainly was not going to just let him get away like that.

"You were definitely just about to say something!"

He shuffled his feet a little, "...If... If you're ever scared, or worried... I'm here, you know. I definitely wouldn't mind listening to your worries..."

My entire body heated up, I was so embarrassed. I really hope the others were too preoccupied with Thane to notice the two of us.

"Th-thanks...!" I tuned in to the others just in time to see that they were walking away now, only Bryce remained (Thane had woken up), a smug look on his face. It was really unsettling.

"You two coming? We're going to go take a nice swim, and then go watch an evening movie."

"U-um, of course! C'mon Spencer, the others are waiting for us..!" I grabbed his arm, and dragged him way ahead of the others, abandoning him outside of the pool house.

* * *

I must say, I am not just pissed, I am fucking _enraged_! Apparently, one of my friends switched out my green one piece for a bikini! . . .Was probably Jay, that fucking bastard. I'm going to hang her from a tree with that stupid scarf of hers, and then pour all her faygo into the grass while she watches. If that doesn't teach her a lesson, nothing will.

Anyway, I turned my attention to Spencer and Thane, who seemed to be talking near the edge of the pool.

Thane seemed to be commenting on Spencer's attire, "What's with you? Why didn't you bring your swim trunks?"

Spencer turned away from him with a huff, "I wasn't planning on going to the pool when I came."

"Hey, if you can't swim, just say so. It's fine." You could practically feel Thane's sarcastic tone.

That made Spencer whip around to face Thane, "I can too swim!"

Thane smirked, and looked at me. "Really? It seems like you're just trying to keep your cool in front of Jade."

"I-I'm being serious! I **can** swim!" Now Thane grinned evilly, and moved closer to Spencer. Before he was even able to understand what was happening, Thane had already snagged his phone and shoved Spencer right into the pool.

Spencer was only under the water for a short second, but then he popped out, as angry as ever.

"THANE, I SWEAR I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!" He raged, "WHY ARE YOU JUST STANDING THERE?! COME DOWN HERE AND FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN! I'M GOING TO HOLD YOUR HEAD UNDER THE WATER UNTIL YOU FUCKING DROWN!"

"That's the spirit!" Thane tossed the phone off to the side, but I managed to dive for it and catch it at the last second. I scraped up my skin something awful, but at least Spencer's phone was safe. I don't even want to think about what would happen if it broke.

"Play nice, you two. Don't get any blood in the pool." Bryce chuckled, not making any attempts to stop them. Then again, I wouldn't either.

When I looked back over to the duo, they were engaged in a very heated fist fight. I wasn't really able to move without every part of my body screeching in pain, so I just lied there, watching the two of them go at it.

After forty minutes of continuous fighting, they finally stop. Good thing, too. I think the sun is starting to mess with my brain. I hope somebody notices me here soon. The pool tiles are all starting to mesh together into one gigantic pool tile.

Thane hopped up onto a part of the gigantic pool tile, and took off his glasses (how did they not get broken? They punched each other in the face several times!).

Spencer sighed, holding his jacket out in front of him. It was soaking wet, just like the rest of his clothes. His gray undershirt was sticking to his skin because of the water. I would probably enjoy the view I have right now if I wasn't immobilized.

"My shoes are ruined now, you asshole."

"Then just leave them in the sun, they'll dry."

"My shoes are _**RUINED**_, you fucking asshole!"

"Fine then, Princess, you can borrow my clothes." Holy shit- THAT WOULD BE FANTASTIC. SPENCER IN A STRIPED SHIRT? YES.

...I WISH I WASN'T POTENTIALLY DYING FROM A HEAT STROKE. SOMEBODY LOOKING OVER HERE SOMETIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE WOULD BE APPRECIATED.

"What?! No! I'd rather just sit in the sun." Aw, my dreams are now dashed forever.

"What if you get sick?" Thane sounded strangely concerned.

"How the hell would I get sick? It's summer!" At that second, a weird look crawled all over Spencer's face, and he started searching his person nervously. "...H-hey, where's my phone?"

I managed to find my voice and hold up the phone slightly, "I-I got it..."

"Oh, thanks Jade, at least _somebody _is thinking- HOLY SHIT WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!" The whole group turns to me, and Bryce jumped out of his lounge chair to go get bandages.

"I, uh, tried to stop Spencer's phone from colliding with the ground... and I didn't really think things through..." I tried to laugh, but it probably sounded like a dying horse instead.

"Yeah, no kidding! How long have you been just lying there? Why didn't you say anything?" Spencer looked more upset about this than his clothes being soaking wet.

"I was watching the merging of the pool tiles... it's oddly calming, y'know? Now I'm really thirsty, and my scrapes are kind of itchy..."

"Why the hell did you even do that? I tossed it gently enough that it wouldn't get damaged." Thane looked almost as grumpy as Spencer.

"...I didn't know that. I guess I just didn't want his phone to break." The conversation was interrupted by Bryce, who returned with the bandages. He fixed me up pretty good, and then forced all of us to get back into our clothes and meet up for the movie.

* * *

I had Lena help me get over there without encountering anyone else, but on the way there we saw Bryce just standing around the carousel. It dawned on me that this was the perfect opportunity for them to be able to speak to each other, so I gently shoved Lena into Bryce, and hid behind a nearby lamp post.

Bryce helped Lena steady herself, "What is it, Lena?"

Lena wasn't able to lift her eyes off of the ground. A rather short period of silence fell down upon them, but Bryce broke it up with a sigh.

"Why don't you ever look anyone in the eyes? Except Jade, of course."

After several minutes of no response, Bryce crouched down on his knees to be able to look her in the eyes directly. "Look at me, please?"

Lena's fear was (for the moment) broken, "...I can't look up."

"...What?" That didn't seem to be the answer Bryce was expecting.

"I get nervous and lose my voice whenever I see somebody taller than me looking down at me." She took off her hat, "That's why I wear this big hat... it's to block the view from above. I was scared of you... because you're really tall... so your face is really high up..."

Bryce hadn't said a single thing until she finished what she was saying completely. What a gentleman! He actually started chuckling when she was done though, startling both her and me.

"That's it? What a relief! I thought you just didn't like me."

"Um..." Lena glanced over to where I was (rather poorly) hidden, "I know... that's why I wanted to let you know that I don't dislike you at all... I just... wasn't brave enough by myself. Jade and Spencer gave me the courage to finally go through with it... Jade actually pushed me over here... I don't mind though, it's thanks to her that I'm a stronger person now... but, I still... can't look up at faces yet. I hope I can overcome my fear one day... so that the two of us can be friends... maybe... if you don't mind..."

Bryce grinned, "You're already my friend, Lena. You're my friend because you're honest, and I trust you. However, I'd like to become a better friend by adjusting to your needs. So, when you want to talk to me, I'll just crouch down like this, okay? You don't have a problem with looking at me right now, right?"

Lena shook her head, "No..."

"Then it's settled! We're friends. Make sure you thank Jade over there, and we can all go to the cinema together, what do you say?" He pointed at me, making me have to come out of my obviously failed hiding spot.

"Uh... hi."

Bryce looked amused, "Hello, Jade."

The three of us went to the cinema in a semi-comfortable silence.

. . .

The other three had gotten to the cinema before us, and Arlo was just dance-skipping in place between Spencer and Thane, who were glaring daggers at each other. Spencer stopped when I went to stand beside him, though. He emitted a mixture of smugness, and being slightly upset. What a clusterfuck.

"Yay! Yay! We're going to watch a movie!"

Spencer sighed, "Do you get excited over every little thing that happens?"

Ignoring him, Arlo cheered, "I want to sit in the front!"

Bryce smiled, "Anywhere's fine for me. Where do you want to sit, Jade?"

"Oh, I'll sit in the back, I guess?"

We arranged ourselves in this fashion:

Front Row: Thane, Lena, Arlo

Back Row: Bryce, Spencer, me (Conspiracy? I swear I saw Bryce smirking to himself)

Before the movie started, Spencer and I went to go get some popcorn and soda.

Of course, Spencer complained about it. "It's so unfair that we still have to pay for everything around here. In the zombie apocalypse, nobody will pay for anything. It's every man for himself."

I find myself laughing at his way of thinking, "Well, at least we still have resources. They usually have a shortage of something in that genre, which is why nobody bothers to pay."

"Yeh, you're right. We would definitely be in trouble if we didn't. I can totally see Thane going cannibal." He snorted at that last part, as did I. I could see it, his poker-face unwavering as he tore Arlo's body apart for food. Poor hypothetical-Arlo.

We settled into our seats, and the movie began rolling. It wasn't exactly... interesting. I had more interest in playing that game that Kat swears is so good than Xolga and Toko investigating a warehouse. Trust me, that's saying something.

Arlo was fascinated at how dark the cinema got, "It's so dark...!"

Had Arlo never been in a cinema before?

"Shut up! Be quiet!" Spencer shout-whispered at him.

Arlo turned around in his seat. "Jade, are you scared? I'll sit by you!"

What? "No, don't, I'm perfectly fine."

Now Arlo jumped up, smiling while he blocked my view of the movie (not like I'm complaining though). "C'mon~ I want to sit by you!"

He skipped around the seating, and stopped right in front of Spencer. This pissed Spencer off.

"Hey! Get down! You're blocking the screen!"

Bryce was chatting with Thane, ignoring the three of us, "Do they sell popcorn here?"

"What? Of course they do! This is a movie theater! Movie theaters are known for selling popcorn. Do you want some?"

Arlo began to pester Spencer, "Move, please!"

Spencer settled deeply into his seat, "I'm sitting here, you butt."

"But I want to sit next to Jade!" Arlo whined.

"Well, you're too late! And you said you wanted to sit in the front!"

Arlo didn't even seem to be angry, really, "I changed my mind! Move!"

Bryce sighed contentedly, "I'm actually in the mood for nachos."

"I don't think they have nachos... You should ask your two row-mates over there, they went to the concession stand, not me."

"Spencerrrrr! C'mon, pleaaaaase?" Arlo put on a puppy dog face (it seems he's been carefully observing Bryce) to see if that'd help.

Spencer groaned, "ALL OF YOU, SHUT UP! I JUST WANT TO WATCH THE MOVIE!"

Lena sat in the front, ignoring everyone. I envy her.

. . .

When we got out, I managed to grab Spencer and hide behind a row of seats from Arlo, who was wandering around, calling out for me. He just wanted to hang out, but seriously, even I need a break from his obsessiveness.

When he finally left, the two of us got up, and I dusted off my clothes. By now, it was night time.

"What'd you do that for?"

"I just wanted to hang out, you know? Preferably without Arlo tagging along." Spencer sighed.

"Love is weird, isn't it? I mean, almost everyone makes a big deal about it. Why do people worry so much about finding a person who will love them?" I have no idea where that came from, but okay.

"I think it's more important to find people to love rather than be loved. If you love somebody, eventually they might return the feeling."

He raised an eyebrow at me, and I think he was amused. "...You know, you say odd things sometimes."

"Maybe, but does that matter? Let's go~!" I drag him out of the cinema, and we eventually wander over towards the pool house. I guess I just chose to go there because then we can see if Arlo's coming or not.

Spencer looked around, looking anywhere but at me.

"What's wrong?"

He sighed, "It's nothing, just... This is where I was when everyone disappeared."

"Oh, really? I was at the entrance."

His eyes widened, seeming to have thought I meant something else, "The entrance?"

Realizing what he might be thinking, I corrected myself. "Yeah, everyone disappeared when my friends and I were leaving."

"...Your friends disappeared too?" I raised an eyebrow at him, what is he thinking?

"Well, yeah, but they weren't really there when I disappeared. I came back to the front entrance to get Mel's wallet... and then everyone disappeared." He was almost sulkily quiet for a moment, but then he finally spoke up.

"Your friends... what are they like?"

"Uh, well, there's Jay, Kat, Alexis, Mel, and Kendra, who is Mel's girlfriend. Kat and Jay are twins... probably. They might look the same, but there's some pretty big differences between the two of them. Alexis is more of Kat's friend, really. She's a pretty good person, she's even good at handling Kat. Mel's kind of.. depressed? He's always claiming that Alexis and Kat are his older sisters. Kendra and Jay have been friends for about... 7 years?" I look at him, and, seeing his blank stare, I decided to just wrap it up, "Uh... they're like family to me, even if they're kind of odd."

"...Like family?" spencer sounded rather confused.

"Well, we have our disagreements sometimes..." _**All the time**_, "...but we still accept our different views and each other. So... what are your friends like?" I admit, I'm extremely curious as to what kind of friends Spencer would have.

"Mine? They're idiots."

"Wh-what?" I POUR MY SOUL OUT ABOUT MY TROUBLESOME FRIENDS, AND HE USES A SINGLE SENTENCE?

"I'm serious, all they ever do is talk about 'hot girls' or how much shit they can eat in one sitting." Oh christ, that sounds awful. At least Kat keeps her thoughts to herself!

"...And you like hanging out with them?" It didn't really look like it.

He huffed, "Of course not."

"Then they're not your friends!" I surprised him with my sudden burst of sincere anger.

Spencer looked down into my eyes for several moments, "...I envy you."

All my anger dissipated instantly, "..Huh?"

"You have friends who accept you for who you are." He paused, "...It's been a long time since I've acted like myself around other people. Guys like me just don't fit in. Any kind of rational, intelligent discussion drives the other guys away. That's just how our society is." He sighed angrily, "...I hate speaking my mind. Whenever I try to explain things... ideas, concepts, my mind... all I ever get are weird looks."

"...But you're just find around us." I point out, trying (in vain, I might add) to calm him down. He appeared to be getting more upset the more he spoke.

"That's what makes me wonder! When I got here, why did I just suddenly start acting like myself? Especially when we were discussing all of that number stuff, and the weird text messages?... Maybe I just didn't care what you guys thought of me, since this is either a dream, or we'll all never meet again after we leave this place..."

He finally shut up! Now I can talk again, "Just be yourself, Spencer. If people can't accept you for who you are, then why should you worry about them? Fuck them! You act like yourself here, and none of us have ever had a problem with you." Except Thane, but I'm going to ignore that right now. "Even though it can be hard to not worry about what other people think of you... you just have to remember that you have friends that like you for you, and then it's not so hard. Even though I'm (extremely) awkward and weird, I know I can be myself because I have friends that honestly like me..." And most are rather odd themselves.

Spencer was oddly quiet for short period of time, but then he suddenly slammed his arm on the wall behind me (I had been leaning against the wall of the pool house), leaning dangerously close to me.

"I like that about you."

I must admit, seeing his gray eyes so close to my face was a big surprise, but that was a bigger shock. "H-huh?"

"I like how you act like yourself no matter what. You're what every person should be. Don't ever change who you are for any reason."

"Wh-what?" I was almost unable to think properly at this point.

He closed his eyes with a sigh, and then opened them. "I hate... I hate how I just can't stop thinking about you."

Stunned, I just spew stupidity out of my mouth, "...Why?"

Spencer frowned, "...It's because I know you don't feel the same way."

"You're not always right, you know..." He looked confused.

"What?"

"D-don't just assume how other people feel...! You can't choose their feelings for them..."

"B-but... I... I-I'm... You're... too good for a guy like me."

"Will you stop putting yourself down?! I like you! I like how you act like yourself, even if it's only while you're stuck here with us!... I like you... for the same reasons why you like me..." He wasted no time in crashing our faces together, though it only lasted for a second or two. Either way, it didn't stop my entire face from turning scarlet.

"Wh-wha... Th-that was sudden..."

"I couldn't pass up the opportunity." Spencer spoke like it was a simple thing like breathing, "...I might wake up and find out that this whole thing was just a dream after all."

"You're not making any sense. You still think this is a dream?"

"...Yeah, you're right. This can't be a dream... you're too real for any of this to be fake, even if there _is_ that creepy talking machine." He stopped his tirade, and looked at my face for the first time since he forced a kiss on me (not like I'm complaining though...). "...Are you blushing?"

"I-I don't know... P-probably?"

"Seriously? That's too cute..." He leaned down to kiss me again, but this time I wasn't surprised.

* * *

I spent the next two weeks spending time with Spencer (not in the way you're thinking! I swear!), either just hanging out, or working with him under the roller coaster on the message and the numbers. After all that time, we finally reached a breakthrough! I gathered the others at Spencer's request (I wasn't able to find Arlo, weirdly enough), and sat next to where he was standing in front of everyone. Running around is incredibly tiring.

We had figured out that _**When falling damp tree unveils ghost**_ actually meant _**Giving up all self worth means the end**_. It was seriously hard work!

"I can't believe it was as simple as this, but we still couldn't figure it out. " Spencer sighed.

"So it was an anagram." Bryce sighed as well.

"But what does this mean, exactly?" Always the joy ruiner, Thane had gotten slightly less irritating recently. Not completely, but he's... tolerable.

"If Jade and I are right, these numbers are actually about our values and dignity. The more selfless we become, the more value we give away, and vice versa."

Bryce, ever the (seemingly) happy-go-lucky idiot, didn't seem to get it. "Huh?"

"Don't 'Huh?' me! You're a psychology student! You should know what I mean!" Spencer snapped at him. Not going to bother arguing with that; Bryce should try to be more... attentive.

"O-oh! You're talking about giving value vs. taking value, right? Giving value makes other people feel better about themselves; giving compliments, gifts, and being friends are an example of such." Suddenly, Bryce took on a more serious tone, "On the other hand, a person with low self-esteem may try to take value from others to make themselves feel better instead. In short: bullying... but in this situation, we don't have much of a choice but to take value sometimes. As you are surely implying, I think that when we take value, we drain it directly from the one who gives it to us?"

Spencer looked shocked that Bryce was able to actually keep up with him (honestly, I am too. I was starting to think he was a flunking student), "...Yeah."

Bryce frowned, "That explains why Jade's number got so low that one time. She bought everyone lunch."

"Are you absolutely sure about this? What if this was just a coincidence?" Thane really needs to learn when to shut up.

Spencer didn't say anything at first (I think he was counting to ten), "I thought of the basic concept not long after we all met up. I was certain that how we interacted our numbers affected our numbers somehow. It took me this long to figure it all out, because I wasn't even sure if I was right, but Jade convinced me that it was correct. I even tested it out on the rest of you. Every time I did something in the interest of somebody else, my number would drop... and it would increase whenever somebody made me feel better about myself."

"Spencer's absolutely right. The pattern has been happening to me too."

"But if your theory is right, then how can we add value to our numbers without taking any from others?"

"That's not possible. The values are like energy and matter. They can't be destroyed or created, they just keep on being exchanged amongst us. I did the math, and our numbers always add up to 100 without fail... If I'm right... one of us might be stuck here forever."

Thane seemed to not be paying any attention, because he stupidly uttered "Wh-what?"

Lena looked at the ground, not saying anything as per usual. She's been slightly more expressive recently, but she still can't speak in front of the entire group very well.

"I think I get what you're saying, Spencer. If all but one of us lets our values drop to zero and leave this place, there would still be the last person, who would be left behind with all 100 points... but there wouldn't be anybody left for them to exchange values with."

"The real, final question is what will even happen when our numbers drop to zero..."

"Well, we'll either 'leave' and go back home, or..." I trailed off, noticing how uncomfortable Lena was beginning to look.

"You don't need to say it... we know... what you mean..." Bryce looked depressed too.

"It's like death in the real world, after all. Everybody wonders what happens after death, but nobody will willingly volunteer to see it for themselves, because they won't make it back..."

Spencer sighed, and patted my head absent mindedly. I was still not used to the physical contact, so I still slumped down and emitted 'Eep's all over the place.

Trying to regain my dignity, I mustered up the cracks of my voice, "U-um, what about Arlo, though? I haven't lost or gained value when I've talked to him. Not just that, but his phone's been missing for two weeks... how is he still so energetic?"

Nobody said anything, so I continued, "...Should I just say it...?"

Suddenly, the entire dome flashed white for a mili-second. Everything turned radically different colors, and everything was see-through.

I shrieked in astonishment, but the others only looked like varying degrees of surprised.

Bryce looked freaked out, "What's going on?"

"Arlo...!" Thane sounded testy, "We can't let him do whatever he pleases! This has to stop."

"Okay, there are five of us, and only one of him. We should be able to locate him quickly if we all split up and search different areas of the park."

Bryce looked even more scared now, "W-wait. Are you sure we should split up?"

"Well, Arlo hasn't done anything to harm us, so I think it's probably safe to go in alone. Let's go!"

* * *

I HAVE LOOKED EVERYWHERE.

**FUCKING **_**EVERYWHERE**_.

WHERE IS HE?!

There were little numbers dropping down from the sky like cotton candy, and I realized that they were our initial numbers. There weren't any near the front entrance, though... that's strange. They were a few minutes ago... unless...!

I run over to the fountain, and there, standing a few feet in front of me with his back facing me, was Arlo.

"...Arlo...!" He turns around, startled by my sudden appearance. I jog up to him, "...It's... really you, right...?"

He was silent, just staring at me.

"...Um, Arlo?" He gave me a small, sad smile.

"Sorry, Jade. I'm... really sorry about all of this..."

"What happened? What's going on?"

"Uh, yeah... this place is a little bit unstable right now, but I just need some time to make my heart feel better again. You're safe here, though, Jade. So don't worry. I would not... I will not ever let anything happen to you guys..." He stopped, looking at me, but continued, "...I was really hoping that you guys would never find out... but..."

Arlo sighed, and looked at me hopelessly. "I don't know what to do anymore. What should I do, Jade...?"

"Telling us the truth would probably be a good start."

"...Yeah, you're probably right. No, you **are** right. That is the best course of action at the moment..."

* * *

Neither of us even had to retrieve anybody, because they eventually made their way over to the entrance once they noticed that there were no numbers raining down. However, getting things started was another thing. Nobody said a single thing for quite some time. I wouldn't be surprised if half a day had passed by the time Spencer spoke up.

"So, Arlo, mind telling us what these numbers are about?"

He gave us a sad smile, "...They're happy points. You give them to someone when you make them happy, and you get points when you are made happy by someone else. Some people give more than they take..." He gestures towards me, "...others take more than they give..." He looked in Thane's direction. I'm not sure how to interpret that. "However, I think that the best relationships are when people both give and take. I wanted to be sure that you guys would all get along... so that's why I assigned you guys those numbers."

Thane took a step forward, "...What are you?"

"I'm a hamadryad." I had no idea what that was, so I kept quiet.

Lena sounded amazed, "A real one?"

Bryce did too (I'm starting to feel stupid. What the hell is a hamadryad?), "So you aren't like us after all."

"S-sorry guys... it's all my fault..." Arlo sniffed, "...that you guys are all stuck here... This is my 'home'. I based it off the real amusement park... but I was lonely. I made Cashy for companionship, but I wanted to have a real friend..." He sniffed again, "Th-thank you guys... this has been the most fun I've ever had. I-I...I..."

Arlo burst into tears, "I-I love you guys! B-but now, you all h-hate me, because I lied. I'm a liar! All the f-fun we had together made me really happy... but it was all built on th-the lies I told. I-I'm terrible! Horrible, even!" By now, he was just blubbering all over the place.

It was quite impossible for me to be angry at Arlo when he's just crying his eyes out. "Arlo... it's okay. We...don't hate you... Right?" I turn, and look at the others for support. There is none. Not even Bryce is saying anything.

"...Guys..." I looked at Spencer for help, and he did speak, but it wasn't what I was hoping for.

"I'm fucking pissed." He hissed.

"Spencer! C'mon..."

"No, Jade, really! I'm pissed! Do you know how long we've been here? We've been stuck here for almost a month!"

"...But-"

"...I would have stayed." Spencer grumbled, "Arlo, if you had just told us up-front that you just wanted to get to know us and be friends, I would've stayed. Even if this whole ordeal is pretty odd... You didn't have to use a giant glass dome and crazy numbers. Real friends trust each other."

Arlo took in a deep, shaky breath, "I-I'm sorry... you're right, Spencer. I should have just told you guys from the beginning..."

"It's okay now though, Arlo!" Bryce's cheery voice got Arlo to stop sniffling immediately.

"W-what?"

"Real friends trust each other, but they can also forgive each other! You used courage to admit something difficult, so why should we hold it against you anymore? I don't know about anybody else (except Jade), but I'm certainly not mad."

Spencer sighed, and leaned against me. "Well, what's done is done, and there's nothing we can do about it. We just need to know what to do next."

Arlo looked stunned, and smiled through his last few remaining tears, "Th-thank you, guys..."

There was a flash of bright white light, and then everything returned to normal (or, at least, the park turned back to it's correct colors).

"It's alright now. When your happy points drop to zero, all of you will go home... So... you can leave if you want."

"Wait, but won't somebody be left behind with all 100?"It's really nice. Ever since I, uh, 'talked' with Spencer two weeks ago, he's been a lot more chattery.

Arlo smiled, "Don't worry, I'll make sure that the remaining person will return home, safe and sound."

Bryce giggled (BE A MAN, BRYCE), "Wow, all 100 happy points, huh? That person would certainly feel special."

"Yes, but the best thing about the happy points system is that even when you give them away, you can still feel happy." Arlo sighed, "Again, sorry. If you guy will ever come visit me ever again, I promise I won't use the happy points system anymore. It's just that I was afraid that nobody would try and get along if I didn't use it, but I realize that's wrong now. Incentives weren't needed after all."

He skipped over to me, making Spencer tighten his grip, and planted a kiss on my forehead, right in front of everyone. I glanced up at Spencer, and his face was way past angry. His face had actually turned _purple_ with rage.

"What do you think you're doing?!" He spat out between his gritted teeth.

Arlo stuck his tongue out at Spencer, "Jade gets a special thank you kiss! She's the one who found me when everything was getting pretty out of control, and she helped me decide what to do!... But, you guys cheered me up too, so maybe I should give everyone a thank you kiss?!" Arlo made one tiny step towards him, and Spencer ran away, dragging me along with him.

"DON'T EVEN COME NEAR ME! OR JADE!"

* * *

By the time Spencer stopped running around, we were at the roller coaster, and it was evening. He let go, and turned around, facing away from me.

Before I could even say anything to him, he spun back around. "Hey."

His face looked... depressed? "...What's wrong?"

He looked at the ground, and fished out his phone, shoving it in my face. "Actually, it seems that I'm about to take off."

His number had gone down to 1.

My eyes widened, "W-what? Your number..." When had that happened? Why didn't he tell me beforehand!?

I stared at it, shocked into silence. Spencer looked back at me, "You'll be leaving soon too, right?"

"...Well, y-yeah... of course..." I couldn't take my eyes away from the phone, I was hoping that if I stared at it long enough, it would change back up to a higher number.

Spencer's next words brought me back, "...Will you... stay with me?"

I snapped my head up to look him in the eyes, "What?"

"I don't want us to just part ways like this... I want to be with you, Jade. I wanted to become a part of your daily life in the real world... I can't go back." I think he was starting to panic from my lack of a response, "I-I can't go back to living my everyday life without you in it, after being together with you for so long..."

Finally, I found my voice, "...I... want to be with you too."

I have no idea what happened, but next thing I know Spencer was crushing me in a bone-breaking hug. It was tighter than Arlo's hugs, but it wasn't... uncomfortable. I'm pretty sure Spencer's shoulders were shaking.

"...I'll be waiting for you." He whispered, "I'm so happy right now... I'm shaking a lot, aren't I? I don't care. Soon, I'll get to be a permanent part of your life in the real world. This really can't be a dream, can it? You're the most real person I've ever met..."

He stopped shaking as he took in a deep breath, "...I have to give away my last happy point before I can leave, right? I'll promise you something, then..." He squeezed harder, "Never forget that I'll always be there for you. Even when I'm gone, you'll always be on my mind..."

"...Spencer..." My eyes were starting to tear up. This is terrible, what if I permanently leave a stain in his jacket?!

"I'll be waiting right here, Jade." He slowly disappeared in a flash of white light.

I was suddenly all by myself. I knew there were still the others, but... I had never felt this lonely before.

* * *

Before I sent the others off, we all exchanged phone numbers to get in contact. Lena made me promise that we would all meet up in about a week, and then everyone else was gone, leaving me behind, with only Arlo remaining.

I slowly walked around the park, and I found Arlo watching the lights of the carousel as it went around in circles, even though nobody was on it. It was still evening, so all the lights looked pretty nifty, shining like that.

My thoughts were interrupted by Arlo, who swung around to me, with his arms opened wide, grinning a wide grin. "Congratulations, Jade!"

"...On what?"

"All 100 happy points are in your possession! You deserve them, too. You deserve all the happiness in the world!... But, it's time for you to finally go home now. It's kind of hard to say goodbye, but if there weren't any 'goodbye's, there would never be any 'welcome back's or 'hello's, right?"

"Correct."

"I'm glad that I got to say hello to all of you guys... I hope that someday I can get to say 'welcome back'. You guys can come back anytime you want... don't be a stranger, okay?"

"Don't worry, we'll try and meet back up here next week, okay? Maybe I'll even bring my friends... maybe." If they believe me, of course.

"Really? That'd be great! I'm looking forward to it!" He smiled one last time, "...It's time for you to go. Goodbye, Jade."

_Goodbye, Arlo._

* * *

When I came to, I was standing back at the fountain, where I had been when this whole thing happened in the first place. It was night time, so there was nobody in sight. However, I knew a certain somebody that had to still be here. As I made my way over to the roller coaster, I spotted Kat clinging to Jay as Alexis held a flashlight. They were probably looking for me, but I really didn't want to reunite with them just yet. I made a silent promise to make it up to them later, and took the back path to the roller coaster.

* * *

When Spencer came into view, with his back turned from me, I couldn't help myself from breaking into a run, throwing myself at his back to hug him.

"HOLY SHIT-" He freaked out, but when he turned around he realized it was me, and he returned the gesture.

"This... this is..." A miracle? A dream come true? Coincidence?

"...Reality." Spencer muttered.

I snuggle my face into his jacket, "...I can't believe you're actually here..."

I could hear the smugness in his voice, "Well, duh. I promised that'd always be there, didn't I?"

"...It... it just really does feel like I've woken up from a long dream."

"I felt that way at first too... but then I heard your friends running around trying to find you, and knew that this had to be real, so I waited here like I promised. They're still here, you know?" He laughed.

"Yeah, I know, I saw them on my way here and avoided them." I laughed with him.

Wrong move.

"J-JADE?! I-IS THAT YOU? COME OUT HERE YOU FUCKER, I WANNA GO HOOOOME!" We could hear Kat screaming, her abnormally loud voice reverberating off of every surface. I spotted the light of Alexis's flashlight coming towards us, and cursed my luck.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah! I'm over here, you little coward!"

That began a very long night of explaining...

* * *

It's been a few days now, and right now, we were on a date, standing in the corner under the roller coaster. There's no writing board there anymore, but it's still cozy.

Spencer looked at me, "So, what do you want to do now?"

I hummed, "Hmm~ I don't know. We went on everything already..."

Not to mention the fact that we've been harrassed by my trio of pests all week to 'prepare' for this date. Those fuckers.

Spencer looked sad, and turned away, "...Sorry..."

"Huh? What for?"

"I don't know... Why did I decide for our first date to be here?... We've already spent so much time in this place..." He sighed, "And now I'm boring you. This is going horribly."

I shook my head, even though I knew he could see me, and placed my hand on his shoulder, turning him around. "This place is fine, Spencer. I'm enjoying myself. I've... had a lot of fun today."

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"...M-me too..." Spencer looked embarrassed, but then he suddenly got all serious. "...Hey. Stay with me, Jade."

"...What?"

"I don't want to do anything, or go anywhere without you... things are always better when you're around... And... that's probably because I'm in love with you..."

My face turned dark scarlet, stammering, "U-um... you're... actually pretty bold, aren't you..."

He smirked, "Oh, shush." He finally seemed to notice the state I was in, because his smirk got bigger.

"...W-what?" I was nervous _and_ embarrassed now.

"I love you." Flustered beyond imagination, I turned around, covering up my face with my hands. This didn't seem to deterr him, thouh, because he just got closer. "I love you, Jade."

I whirled back towards him, "Q-quit saying that!"

His smirk softened into a smile, "Sorry, I just can't help it. You're really cute when you blush, so I have the urge to say it all the time."

I sighed, and, getting a fantastic idea, took a deep breath, draining the blush from my face. I looked up at Spencer, and with a completely complacent face, managed to say the words back at him. "...I love you too."

Spencer jumped a little, and now it was **his** turn to blush the color of a crab! "H-huh?"

I started laughing, "Haha! You get all flushed and cute too!"

"Sh-shut up...!"


	4. Bryce

**I was informed by 4Isrbetterden2 that I fucked up and turned Alexis into Jade somewhere. Thanks for telling me! I fixed it. I should probably get a beta reader.**

* * *

I stare at the number that's being presented to me through my phone. What could this even mean? Is it symbolic? Does it stand for days, hours, minutes, etc? I hope not minutes, because only having 12 minutes to live is a fucking drag.

"...Huh. Your number's much lower than mine." The unknown voice sent shivers down my spine. This was already getting to be too much for me. What if this person is here to murder me horribly?! That was not my plan for today!

I look up, and notice that he's RIGHT NEXT TO ME.

Literally _right next to me_! How did I not notice him there beforehand?!

Luckily, I managed to not freak out, but I still took a few steps backward (just to be safe), and took in this new person that had totally not just scared the life out of me.

He had short, dirty blonde hair (making me instantly think of my two little freaks, is this another one of their schemes?!), white-framed glasses with no bottom frame (how do the lens stay in place?), light blue eyes, an orange-and-white striped shirt, and brown baggy pants. All in all, he looks sort of nerdy. Not that that's a bad thing... it's just that you always have to be wary of those quiet ones. They usually end up having been the true killer all along!

"...Did she pass out while standing?" This male stranger waved his hand in front of my face, which I swatted away, "Oh, you're alive?"

"Are you here to take me to the torture chamber?!" The stranger's eyes widened, and now _he_ took a few steps back, holding his hands up in the 'I surrender' universal gesture.

"I'm not taking you anywhere, chill out..." He lowered his hands back into his pockets when I calm down, "...I'm Thane."

"Alexis." After taking another deep breath, I give him a tiny smile, "So... that means that you're stuck here too, right?"

"Yeah."

"How long?"

"A few hours, I think. My watch broke, and none of the clocks here work, so I could be wrong."

"...Wow. That sounds rough. I only just got here." I can't imagine being stuck here for a long period of time, not knowing how long you've been here, and not having anyone around to talk to.

"...That's weird."

"I was here all day with my friends, and we were leaving... but now they're gone." Oh man, now that I think about it, Kat is going to flip her shit when she finds out! She already didn't want to come to the amusement park, this is going to totally be used as ammo for denying future excursions... if I make it out of here!

"Yeah, I was just about to leave too. I was working in the arcade, and my shift had ended when everyone disappeared." He sighed, and looked at me, "...It's nice to actually be talking to somebody right now. I ran into another guy earlier, but he didn't seem to want anything to do with me."

Ah, so we're not the only two here. That's semi-reassuring. "How could you tell?"

"He was shouting obscenities at me and running away from me."

"...Oh. Well, maybe he'll come find us later?"

"Probably. There's no way out of here, he has no choice. . . ." He started saying more stuff, but I got tired of exchanging words with him. Not that I don't like intelligent conversations, but... I'm feeling sort of tired right now. ". . .I guess we'll just figure it out later, huh?"

Shoot, does he want an answer? "...Uh, yeah."

Thane must be way more perceptible to other's feelings than I thought. "Are you tired?"

"Eh, kind of."

"Well, you can go wait for me at the café and rest. I have to go... check up on some things. I'll catch up with you later."

FAMOUS LAST WORDS: YOU GO WAIT FOR ME, I'LL BE RIGHT BACK.

He's even blonde! The blonde ones always die quickly...!

"Wait!" I stop him before he can leave. I can tell he's slightly irritated, but he still complies with my demand.

"What? Are you scared of being alone?"

"...What? No! It's just that you'll probably be horribly murdered, so I'm just trying to help you out. Is it really that important?"

"...Well, I _was_ going to go to the bathroom." Thane sounded amused, but still with that hint of irritation.

"...O-oh. I'm sorry... I'll go on ahead and wait then, I guess."

"Okay, seeya." Thane takes off, and I watch him get away before I leave myself.

Heres to hoping he doesn't get axed to death by the irritable stranger.

* * *

As I walk into the café, the little bell on the door chimes, indicating my arrival. I'm pleasantly surprised to see two people inside; one even turns to me as I walk in!

The guy that turned to me is incredibly tall (impressive! How did he manage that?), has nice chocolate brown hair, bright green eyes, and a rather (adorably) nerdy blue sweater vest with a red argyle pattern across the middle.

There was also a little girl sitting in a booth in the far corner of the café. I swear, she could pass for Kat if she was just a little bit taller, and wasn't wearing pink... or if she had glasses. I guess that's quite a few differences, so they're probably not alike at all? That's a shame. It'd be slightly comforting if one of my friends were here...

The tall guy gives me a nice, big, friendly smile as he approaches me. "Hi! My name is Bryce, what's yours?"

I return his level of enthusiasm, because why not? "Alexis. Nice to meet you, Bryce."

"The pleasure's all mine."

"...So, you're trapped here too?"

"Yeah... bummer, isn't it?" His smile dropped for just a second, but then it came back halfway. "But I'm glad you got here. The more the merrier, you know?"

"Oh, I agree... so, who's your companion over there?" I point to the girl who's just been sitting there like an iron maiden, not budging or speaking, just watching us two talk.

Bryce casually shrugs, "I have no idea. She's been there since before I got here, I think. She won't talk to me at all... I hope I didn't do something that offended her."

Near the end of his sentence, Bryce's tone took a turn down Sad Guy Street, home to all the nice guys who are sad. That doesn't seem to suit him, in my opinion (even though I've literally just met him), so I tried to cheer him up.

"I'm sure it's nothing personal. You look like you're a good guy."

Bryce seemed like I caught him off guard, because he was stunned for a few moments. "...Uh, I hope so...th-thanks."

He brightened up considerably now, "Man, it's been such a long day! I'm going to sleep super well tonight!"

"...How can you still be so..." The exact word I wanted to use seemed to escape me, "...cheery? Especially in a situation like this? I must admit, keeping your cool at this time is quite impressive."

"I'm not as impressive as you seem to think... Actually, I was freaking out earlier, when I thought I was the only one here..." Bryce laughed, "... but now that I know I'm not alone, I can relax. After all, we'll get through this together, right?"

I couldn't help but grin at him, "...Yeah, you're right. We'll get out of here for sure."

It's rather inconvenient that we were interrupted at that exact moment by a surely enraged individual that was shouting.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" I guess Thane found that guy from earlier.

"I will when you listen to me!"

"Hell no!" Well, this guy sure sounds like a decent fellow.

"What the..."

Thane seemed to have been leading him towards the café, because the two of them suddenly came crashing through the café door. Luckily, Bryce caught the two of them before they could crash to the ground and start a fight. I guess he's not just tall, but also strong?

The new guy, who seemed pretty angry, had caramel colored hair, gray eyes, and a green jacket. Kat would love that jacket. I wonder where he got it.

The irate stranger kept trying (in vain) to fight away Bryce's grip on his arm, "I don't need any help! Let go of me!"

Thane calmed down, and ignored Spencer when he took notice of me standing right next to his captor. "Oh, Alexis."

"What are you doing...?"

"Just chasing a nincompoop." Thane gestured towards the irate stranger, who got even angrier.

"Who's a nincompoop?!" I can tell that he was trying to start a fight, but he wouldn't be getting anywhere with Bryce still holding him back.

Thane, yet again, ignored him, turning his attention towards their captor. "...So, who's the sweater vest?"

I know it's not that common to see sweater vests... but c'mon! He's adorable! "This is Bryce."

Bryce waved with his one free hand (he had let go of Thane, since he didn't show any violent tendencies), "Yo."

"Is this the guy you were chasing? What's his name?"

Thane shrugged, "Beats me."

Somehow, the irate stranger only then seemed to notice that he was surrounded by people, because he flipped his lid. "WHO ARE ALL YOU PEOPLE?!"

Bryce let go of Spencer (who then took several side-steps away from him), "Why don't we all introduce ours-"

Thane interrupts Bryce before he even finishes (wow, rude!), "Thane!"

It didn't seem to upset Bryce, so I went next, "Alexis!"

Suddenly, a soft, yet somewhat musical, voice spoke up from behind us. "...Lena."

We turned to see the little girl (Lena, apparently) staring at us, but she continued to ignore us, sinking back into her silence.

Now the irate stranger went, "Spencer!"

"Bob!"

There was a short silence as we all stared at Bryce, who was beaming at us. I leaned over and lightly punched him in the arm.

"That's not your name!" Bryce started laughing, and I couldn't help but join in.

. . . .

"...So, everyone here got this creepy text?" Everyone (with the exception of Lena, who just held up her phone) murmured their agreement, "And now all of our phones display these weird numbers instead of the time..."

"Yep! Thane's number is 29, Alexis's is 12, Spencer's is 22, Lena's is 20, and mine is 17. Alexis... your number is really low, compared to the rest of us." Bryce looked at me, concern showing through his voice. It was kind of endearing, really.

"Yeah, I know... Why does mine have to be the lowest?" I sighed. Thane was grumbling about his number too, but what is he complaining about? His number is the highest!

Spencer completely ruined the tension by yawning, "God, why am I so damn tired? It's not even late outside..."

"You too? I'm also feeling pretty tired."

"Seriously? I've been working all day and I still have plenty of energy." Thane scoffed at Spencer, not seeming to be indicating anything at me. I guess they just rub each other the wrong way. How unfortunate, since it looks like we'll be together in the long run.

Spencer didn't even seem to realize that Thane was making a jab at him; he was too busy staring at his phone in frustration. "Crap... hold on a second, my phone's dying."

He made the half-step journey to the café's plug-in, and plugged in his phone to charge, tapping his foot impatiently. That's... peculiar. Do people normally carry those things with them?

Bryce hummed, "I feel just fine too. Maybe you two just had a long day?"

"You're probably right... we _did_ throws cards off the roller coaster, fight our way through the arcade, toss change in the fountain, ran away from angry employees for throwing change in the fountain and littering cards, Jay nearly drowned in the pool because nobody grabbed her goggles, _and_ Kat dragged us onto the spinning rides several times." I chuckle at the end, I think the staff might never let us back into the park ever again.

"...Your friends sound... interesting, Alexis." Bryce looked like he might burst out laughing again, he was grinning so big.

I grin back at him, "Really? I think so too."

Spencer interrupted our chatter, "I just noticed something."

We all turn to him, "Our numbers, they add up to 100..."

Thane arched an eyebrow, "...Well, you're right, but does that mean anything?"

"Of course! It has to!" Spencer sounded overconfident, with a pinch of insecurity.

Thane narrowed his eyes, annoyed. "Don't just assume something like that and think it has meaning."

"I give a shit about what you think!" Even though he said that, Spencer looked a little jarred, which he solved... by getting angry. It almost seemed like there was another to-be-argument about to happen, but Bryce managed to douse it before it could become a proper fire.

"Hey, let's all calm down. We can go find a place to sleep for tonight, and then pick this back up tomorrow."

"...Sleep? Right now? Why the hell would I go to sleep right now? It's still light out." Spencer's eyes and tone indicated that he was as confused as a Spinda is about how to move straight.

"...But... didn't you just say you were tired?" Now Bryce was confused too, but it wasn't like a Spinda, it was like a newborn Ponyta, which is much cuter.

"...I..did.." Spencer scrunched his face, trying to think hard, when his phone beeped, letting everyone know that it was finished charging. "...OH!"

I guess sworn enemies have some kind of telepathy, because Thane sounded just as surprised as Spencer, "For real?! Really?!"

"That's too freaky!" I got tired of listening to their telepathic (but verbal) banter.

"What are you two even talking about?!" Spencer turned to me, and held out his hand.

"Alexis, let me see your phone."

I stare at it, before looking up at him. "...Okay, but be careful." I place my hand gently into his hand.

Spencer turns back to the plug-in, and switches my phone out for his. After that, he turns back to me, his foot tapping being the only sound in the café.

"...So?" Spencer stares at me, waiting for a response.

"What?"

"Are you feeling... different...? Less tired, maybe...?" The others turn to me now as well. I feel slightly pressured, but I still manage to focus on my inner being. I can feel something bubbling up from the soles of my feet. It kind of tickles, and I sort of have the urge to dance around...

My eyes widened, "...Oh my gosh! I don't feel tired at all!"

Thane sighs, "Okay, so the battery life of our phones is directly linked to our own energy."

"That could get scary..."

"Well, we should all try to be more careful than we usually are with our phones." Thane ruffled his hand through his hair.

Spencer snorts, "No fucking shit, you must be a god damn genius."

It was then that I remembered something that could potentially be a problem. "Oh.. but I don't have my phone charger..."

Bryce smiled sadly, "Me too, I didn't think I'd be stranded in the park, so I didn't grab it. I guess we're both out of luck, huh?"

"Well, you two are in luck. They sell phone chargers in the cinema."

Bryce and I brightened up considerably, "R-really?"

I grin, "That's super lucky!" ...If not odd. Why are they selling cell phone chargers in the cinema, when they don't let you use phones in the building?

...Oh well, you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, I suppose.

"Yeah, but you should probably make sure that you have enough money. I tried stealing some popcorn from there, but the doors kept me locked in until I put money on the counter."

"What the hell is wrong with this place?" Spencer growled. "Let's just focus on escaping, we don't have to worry about these stupid numbers as long as they don't drop down to zero."

We all agree to meet up later, and split up.

* * *

I spent the next day just exploring the park, seeing if there was anything to do to pass the time. I didn't find anything! Whenever I tried to get on a ride, it wouldn't start, even if it was just the carousel! I can't even go for a swim, there's some kind of barrier around it, preventing me from getting inside.

The only thing I could actually take part in is the arcade. I spent literally all day there once I found that out! Their games are so rad...! I tried my hand at the pinball first, but I wasn't very successful... or any sort of successful. I turned my attention to the shooter game, which is totally my thing! I racked up tickets like crazy, it's a wonder they didn't run out. After playing all day, I decided to choose a prize, but I didn't find anything that I wanted. Well, that game player looks pretty nifty... but I already have one. I decided on the mp3 player. It had a voice recorder, which Kat has told me is pretty good for mp3s. Maybe I can use it as a bribe if the day ever comes where I need to.

I stuff the mp3 in my hoodie's pocket. At the very least, I have this dark purple striped hoodie that Kat&Jay gave me for my birthday a few months ago. It makes me feel like they're here with me.

I walked around the front of the park, trying to find somebody to talk to. I ran into Lena, but she only gave me a compliment on my black hair, and then she went on her way. I decided to go north to the carousel, just so I could sit on the little horsies.

I spotted Bryce by the carousel, he had his back facing me. I sneak up on him, and clamped my hands on each of his shoulders.

"BOO!" He started a little, but emitted no noise. He turned to face me, and laughed.

"Oh, it's just you, Alexis. You surprised me."

I giggle, "I got you good, hm?"

"...I suppose you did." Bryce grinned, amused.

"So, what'cha doing?" I sat down on the rim of the carousel, deciding that playing on the horses might make me look extremely childish (which I am, but I don't want Bryce to know that).

"I've just been thinking... what exactly lies beyond that glass dome? Is the rest of the world's population out there, or are we the only people here?" That's... pretty deep.

"...Well, maybe there's actually nothing else on the other side." I tilted my head, smiling.

He seemed to think hard about that, "A different dimension or an illusion, right? Huh... that's a rather... interesting thought." Now he looked to me, but I was staring at my feet that I was jiggling around in a dance, "...Are you feeling all right? Or are you the type to fake their happiness?"

"I think everyone fakes their own happiness... sometimes." I looked back up at him, and was surprised by the expression he had on his face. It was wiped away in a flash, making me wonder if it was even there in the first place. It was a mixture of admiration and pleasant surprise, but I've only just met Bryce a few days ago, there's no way he likes me. "...What's wrong?"

He started again, "...Sorry. I said something weird, didn't I? I guess I can't help but worry over silly things like this..."

"No- Don't apologize! I don't mind at all. In fact, it's rather sweet of you to be worrying about my well being." It was then that my phone alerted me that I need to charge it. Luckily, I had purchased a nice charger after we all split up days ago. "...Excuse me, I have to go charge my phone now."

I hopped up from the rim of the carousel and started walking towards the café, but Bryce started trotting until he was right beside me. "Oh, I'll come with."

"You don't have to."

"You're right, I don't have to... but I want to. It's nice talking to you." He grinned, deciding to wait outside while I quickly charge up my phone.

When I walked outside, I got to the heartbreaking sight of Bryce trying to convince Lena to join us for a group talk, but she ignored him and briskly walked away. I shake my head, and give him a little pat on the shoulder, along with a lopsided smile.

"It's okay, Bryce. We can always invite her for later chats." He looked down at me with an appreciative face.

"Thanks... maybe Lena doesn't dislike us, but she's just shy around strangers?"

"Hopefully she'll open up to us in time."

He chuckles, "We sound like parents talking about their withdrawn adopted child...I-I mean, we're all like a kind of awkward family now, aren't we?"

"Mhm," I hum, "That sounds pretty nice."

We sit down at one of the café's tables as we speak, and Bryce looks at me curiously. "...What about you?"

"What?" I turn my attention away from tapping my fingers, but I don't exactly look him in the eyes.

"If you had the choice, would you rather be here alone or stuck with these strangers that you don't know if you can really trust?" Well, that took me by surprise.

"...What kind of question is that? Didn't you just say that we're like a family? I don't mind being here with you guys at all!" I swear a light pink dusted Bryce's face, but it was probably just the heat getting to him. Sweater vests tend to get hot.

"Th-that's good. I'm glad you're open enough to trust us. Most people would have a hard time getting along with strangers, especially in a case like this."

"You're certainly optimistic, aren't you?"

"I suppose so... this situation isn't all that bad, since I got to meet you."

"...Just me?"

He laughed awkwardly, not seeming to have noticed it before I pointed it out, "Well, the others are nice too, but you... you're a really interesting person. I don't just run into people like you every day."

"Oh... thank you. I find you interesting too." I grin at him. Wow, Bryce is such a nice fellow! Making sure I feel alright, insisting that we're like family (Kat and Mel have that same obsession, so it's not like I'm not used to it); whoever ends up being his wife will be a lucky lass. I can just imagine it now...

"Hey, Bryce." I inquired, finally noticing that he had gotten us a pitcher of water, and had poured it into little plastic cups.

"Yes?" He started to take a drink, and I briefly wondered if this was the right time to be asking this question. Eh, I've got nothing to lose.

"First of all, thanks for the cup." I grin, taking a sip of water myself, "...And second, do you have a girlfriend?"

Just as I predicted, Bryce spat all of the water out of his mouth (luckily, none of it hit me), and started stumbling all over his words. "Wh-what?! N-no, of c-course I don't! W-why did you even ask th-that?!"

I shrug, "I don't know. I was just curious, I guess...Sorry, did that make you uncomfortable?"

"N-no, not at all! In fact-" Bryce was cut off by the sound of loud arguing. Gosh, I wonder who it could possibly be?!

"Uh, let's go see what's going on, shall we? Things might get bad." I place my cup back on the table, and stand up, gesturing for Bryce to follow. I could hear the scraping of the chair when he got up, but he made no attempt to talk to me again. I guess I had really shocked him.

...But the reaction I got from him was adorable, and was just what I wanted!

Heheheh...

Anyway, when we finally made our way to the root of where the two of them were fighting, we saw that they were fighting over a machine lying on the ground... it looked broken.

"Will you two stop fighting? What even is that thing?" Bryce nearly bumped into me, but he managed to stop himself, and took the spot to my right, separating me from Thane.

Speaking of Thane, he whipped around when I spoke up. "It's some kind of broken machine. We're trying to figure out what to do with it."

Well, DUH it's a machine... Sheesh, do I look stupid? "Well, does it look like it's fixable? We can probably fix it ourselves if it is."

"I don't know how to fix these things!" Spencer protested.

Thane adjusted his glasses, "I could probably do it. I was in the robotics club at school, so I know the basics of electrical engineering."

"Wow Thane, that's pretty impressive." Bryce wasn't being sarcastic, like I assume Spencer will be.

Just as I expected, Spencer sneered at Thane. "Pfft. All high school robot clubs are for nerds and wannabes."

"...Oh.. but I'm in the robotics club at my school too..." I frowned, not particularly liking the diss he was making at me, even if it was indirectly, and unintended. "...I'm a nerd...?"

"See what you did? You made Alexis sad!" Thane jeered at Spencer, using me as ammo for getting revenge. Bryce started to awkwardly pat my head. That was actually really comfortable, since the twins had the same tendency to feel up people's hair.

"W-what? No! I didn't mean that against her, just you!" Spencer saw my sad little face, and heaved a heavy sigh, "...I'm sorry, Alexis."

I beamed at him, "It's okay, since you apologized! Anyway, I think we should fix it, since we don't really have anything else to do at the moment."

Spencer was just standing there now, stuttering to himself. Gosh, I hope he's not sick! That'd be awful, what if we don't have any medicine?!

Bryce laughed, "I was just about to say the same thing. So, are we all in agreement?"

"Sure, it seems like an easy enough fix. Just a few missing parts." I hummed, staring at the broken scrap metal on the ground.

"Well, the parts aren't just going to be lying around, you know... There's no use trying to find something you'll never obtain." Spencer sighed.

"How will we know if we don't actually look?" Thane sounded exasperated, with a tint of angry. I hum my agreement.

It was then that I noticed who was missing, "Oh... but Lena's not here. We should look for her too."

"Yeah, it's safe to stick together in a group, rather than straying off."

Spencer sighed, and persisted in his pursuit of annoying Thane to death. "Okay, but seriously, what are we going to do when we don't find all of the missing parts we need for this piece of shit?"

"We can worry about that when the time comes, Spencer." Bryce sighed, and we all split up to cover more ground. However, I'm pretty sure Spencer ran off to the spot under the roller coaster... guess I know who won't have anything when we regroup.

Anyway, I'm the last one to leave, but when I get in front of the Alix the Cat gift shop, I hear the beeping of my phone, telling me that I've... got a new text message?

I open up my phone, and look at it.

_**When falling damp tree unveils ghost**_

"...Wow, does this person not know anything but cryptic typing?" I stuff my phone back into my pocket, deciding that I'd just bring it up later when we regroup.

* * *

I decided to go and start looking near the pool house first, and would make my way in a zigzag across the park. When I get there, I find a metallic object jutting out of the ground between the pool and the pool house. Did that thing only break recently? It had to have only been recently, because this definitely wasn't here earlier.

Next was the actual front entrance. I thought looking in the fountain was a solid idea, but there were no little bumps in the change (Sheesh, we threw loads of change!), and I doubt the other parts are paper thin, since they're made of metal.

I scratch that out, and make my way over to the arcade. Standing there, crouching on the ground curiously was Bryce.

"Bryce, you found anything yet?" Bryce started, but calmed down immediately when he saw that it was just me.

"No, not yet. You?" I held up my metallic trophy.

"I found it sticking out of the ground by the pool house..." I looked up at the wall of the arcade for just a second, because I _swore_ that there was something bright flashing light into my eyes. Surprise! It was another robot part, STICKING OUT OF THE WALL OF THE BUILDING! "O-oh my god! Did that robot explode?! Bryce, look!"

I pointed at the part, which was well out of my reach. He stood up, and easily plucked it out of the wall. "Well... that's a peculiar place to find a robot part. Good eye, Alexis." He handed me the part, grinning.

"Well, your height is really handy, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but it sometimes makes people think that I'm older than I really am." Bryce sighed.

"I guess people just aren't use to seeing what's not normal to them." I snicker.

"Oh? What do you consider to be 'normal'?" He sounded amused.

"Being what others expect, of course."

"Really?" Bryce looked at me, surprised, "...I suppose that's the truest answer to what most consider 'normal' too."

"Mmm. Well, I'm going on ahead! See you later!" I wave at him as I walk away towards the cinema, intent on finding more parts. If I find more, maybe Bryce will think I'm cool! (*^*)

At the cinema, I wasn't able to find anything until I spent a half hour crawling around on the ground, finally finding it hiding behind the Mr. Antitouch statue. After that, I jogged over to the Saki pool, but there wasn't anything to be found.

I go towards the café, and look around, moving some chairs to see if it would help. Somehow, it does! I found another part sticking out of the ground... right next to the chair where I was sitting earlier? Was that there earlier?

...I don't think so, but maybe I just didn't notice. I wasn't exactly watching the scenery, after all.

I grab it, and make my way towards the carousel. It doesn't even take me half a second to notice the big piece of scrap metal lying on the carousel. Now, I _KNOW_ that wasn't there earlier! Is this amusement park haunted?!

I decided to go and search through the ferris wheel and the roller coaster, just to be thorough. The ferris wheel yielded no results, sadly, but I had much more success at the roller coaster!

Not only could I see a robot part sticking out of the backseat, but Lena was there too! She was gripping her right arm with her left hand, and was surely startled when she saw me.

I raise a hand in greeting, "Hello."

"Hi." Okay, I got a response. So far so good...

"Do you know that the others are looking for you?" No response.

"...Do you just not like the others?" Lena shook her head.

"No... I'm just... afraid of tall people. I get extremely nervous, and usually can't speak whenever I see somebody taller than me... So I wear this wide-brimmed hat... to block the view of the world above me."

"Ah, so that's why you'll only talk to me?" She nods, "And that's also why you can't stand Bryce?"

She looked down at the ground, seeming to be remorseful of her actions, even if they weren't done on purpose. "...It's not that I can't stand him... he's just... too tall for comfort. Much too tall... but then again, I'm really short, even for a girl... so most people tower over me."

"Even then, you should try and apologize to Bryce. Poor guy thinks you hate him."

She frowns, and looks up at me with pleading eyes, "...Can I do so later...?"

"Yeah, no pressure. Do it when you feel comfortable. Just don't wait until the last second, okay?" I took that opportunity to snatch the robot part from the roller coaster. "All right, now that I've got these parts, why don't the two of us return to the meeting place?"

Lena nods, and holds my hand as the two of us make our way over to the restrooms.

* * *

"Well, did we get everything?" Spencer huffed, even though I knew that he hadn't looked for the parts at all.

Thane stood up from examining the robot."...We're still missing a few screws, but they're probably unimportant. We should be able to get on fine without them."

"But.. wow, Alexis! You were the only one to find any parts!" Bryce grinned, ruffling my hair. If I wasn't so used to it, I might drop 'eep's all over the place like Jade does.

"W-well.. you helped me get one too..." I think I heard Lena laughing quietly. She was still standing next to me, even though Bryce was just on the other side.

Bryce didn't seem to hear her (or, if he did, he didn't show it), instead pulling his phone out of his pocket, "Since we're all here... Am I the only one who got another weird text?"

I fumble through my hoodie's pocket, "Are you talking about the one with the falling tree and ghost?"

Thane nodded, "Yeah, I got it too. Perhaps it's just a bad case of auto correct?" His dry tone indicated sarcasm in play, but that didn't stop Spencer.

"What are you, stupid? I doubt this is just a coincidence... it's probably from whoever sent us the first text as well." Spencer sneered at Thane, shaking his head in disgust.

"It has to mean something... maybe we're supposed to read it a certain way?"

"'Ghost unveils damp tree falling when'...?" I wanted to contribute something more useful than a few robot parts, but... puzzles are hard.

Bryce grinned, taking my initiative, "'Falling tree ghost when damp unveils'...?"

We continued to go back and forth between the two of us, but we didn't come up with anything usable. In the meantime, Spencer and Thane started spouting random garbage from their mouths.

"You guys aren't even making sense!" I groan at them, and turn my attention to the robot. "Thane, are you fixing this, or am I?"

"I'll do it, hand me the parts." Thane held out his hand, which I graciously dropped all six metal parts into. I think I almost snapped his wrist, but he showed no sign of pain, except for the slight twitch in his eye.

. . .

"And..." Thane set the plug-in plate back in place (why does it even have one?), "...that should do it."

The robot looked like a weird box that should have been a snack machine, but on wheels. The creepy vacant look on its face was scary too.

After five minutes, Spencer burst into laughter. "See? What did I tell you! It's not working, this was a total waste of time."

"Maybe we should kick it or something?" I moved my foot forward to do the honors, but I was stopped when the robot suddenly booted up, it's eyes losing the pitch-blackness.

"You did it! It's really working!" Bryce sounded so pumped... god that's so nerdy it's... just... so... adorable! (;n;)

The little robot started emitting a weird aura, as well as various 'beeps'. "The name's Cashy. Nice to meet y'all."

"...Cute." I look at Lena, who is practically melting at the sight of... 'Cashy'. Weird tastes, this one.

"So... what does this piece of scrap metal do?" Spencer glared at Cashy, not even bothering to use the proper name.

"First of all, you piece of absolute shit, I JUST said my name's Cashy. Second," Cashy's voice took on a friendlier tone, "I like to eat, sleep, drink, and party all night long with the most beautiful women!"

"Wh-what?" Spencer looked stunned at the sudden shifting of Cashy's emotions.

"Nah, I'm kidding. I'm just a robot that stores and deposits money." Cashy let out a weird mechanical laugh, which sounded really creepy.

"So, like an ATM?" I chuckled, amused at the punny name. Jay would love this, she adores puns, especially bad ones.

"You got it, Girly! You just gotta hook me up with that little charger of yours, and bam! I give you cash in exchange for some battery life. Pretty sweet, huh?"

I grin at Cashy, somewhat enjoying talking with a mechanical object. I wonder who programmed it? "Yeah, that sounds pretty nifty."

Thane narrowed his eyes at Cashy, taking a step away from it. "...I don't remember finding any money inside this thing... Oh, wait... maybe that's what the locked safe was for."

Cashy whipped around to face Thane, wheeling extremely close to him. "So it was you that repaired me? I should sue your ass for sexual harrassment!"

"...What."

"You looked _and _touched all my private part's without my permission, didn't you?! Huh? Huh?" It didn't sound like Cashy was really serious about his pursuit of Thane; it was like Cashy got some kind of sick joy from taunting people.

"Gosh, Thane! He's right!" Bryce snickered at Thane's misfortune. I, of course, couldn't resist joining in.

"Oh my god... I-I don't even-"

Spencer cut off Thane's soon-to-be tirade, "Let's cut to the chase. What do you know about this place, and the numbers, you stupid robot?"

"You little cunt...! I ain't tellin' you shit now! Even then, all I know is money. Money is everything. If you've got money, you've got ladies hanging off of you. If you've got ladies, you've got plenty of-" I have no idea what he said next, because Bryce clamped his hands over my ears, and Spencer covered Lena's (how did he get over here so fast? He was standing behind Thane!). Cashy seemed to have finished talking several minutes later, because he suddenly rolled away, running over Bryce' feet in the process. There was a loud **CRUNCH**.

"Tally ho, mofos!" Was the last thing I heard from him.

Spencer snapped the moment Cashy was out of sight, "What the hell is wrong with that thing?!"

I ignored that, and turned to Bryce, spastically flapping my arms everywhere. "Oh my gosh! Bryce, are you okay?!"

"O-ow... Y-yeah, I'm fine! Just stings a little..." Bryce gave me a lopsided smile, trying to not show any sign of pain. That wasn't very convincing, considering his eyes were that of a kicked puppy's, and they were slightly tearing up. I would imagine that a heavy metal robot wheeling over your feet would not feel too pleasant.

"...Well... anyway, that sure was..." I trailed off, not being able to find the right word.

No matter, everyone, because Lena saved us from our awkward silence!

"...Cute." I looked at her, and I swear, there were mini pink hearts floating above her head.

Spencer sighed, ignoring Lena (good choice of action!), "Man... we spent all that time looking for parts, and fixing it... yet we still don't know shit."

"Aww... I hope we can get out of here soon. I'm starting to get pretty hungry." Bryce whined, his stomach protesting. The others agreed, even Lena looked a tad bit hungry!

Suddenly, the wallet I had been keeping in my back pocket was incredibly heavy, as though it was reminding me of its existence. "Oh, um... I could go get everyone food, if that's okay..."

"Really? Are you sure?" Thane arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah, it's no problem! I didn't spend any money when I was with my friends, except for the few sodas I bought, so I have like, thirty dollars on me." And, if need be, I'd borrow a few dollars from Mel's wallet... but I'd pay him back! I swear! "Anyway, I'll be right back!"

As I was turning to leave, Thane told me that they'd be waiting in the gift shop. I waved in response, and jogged towards the café. However, I only made it to the carousel before Bryce interrupted me.

"Alexis! Wait up!" I stopped, waiting for Bryce to catch up.

"What's up, Bryce?"

"I.. I just wanted to know if you needed any help?"

"Oh, thanks, but no, I don't need help. It's just food, y'know?"

"...You... you're amazing." Both of my eyebrows go up, this is not what I was expecting at all!

"W-what?"

"You always seem to know what you're doing... you probably know what you want in life, huh?"

I wave my hand offhandedly, "Not really... It's kind of hard to know what you want when you haven't done much."

"...Really?" The amazement in his voice makes me look at him, his green eyes just staring at me, showing no emotion. I nod, "...It''s nice to know that the people who we perceive as better aren't so different from the rest of us after all."

"...You think I'm better than average person?" My face heated up, incredibly flattered by this compliment, even if he didn't mean it that way.

Now Bryce was panicking, "W-Well, haven't you ever wanted to be someone else?"

"...Mmm, sometimes."

"E-exactly! Sometimes, it's hard not to envy what you admire about others, right?"

"...I suppose." I stare at him, not believing his makeshift excuse. "If you'll excuse me... I'm going to go get our food. Why don't you go wait with the others?"

Without waiting for an answer, I rushed over to the café.

* * *

I had grabbed all the food I could possibly get, since there was _five_ of us, for godssake! I was fighting a losing battle when I tried to struggle to bring the bags outside of the café. Another alert came from my phone, and I nearly dropped everything. After some struggling, I finally manage to gently place the bags on the ground, and took out my phone with a huff. How dare my phone interrupt me making a contribution to the group!

I did a double take at my phone, when I thought it just had another cryptic text... it actually was alerting me of my new number.

The number 4.

How did my number get so low?! My number was at 23 when I went into the café!

I growl, and shove my phone back into my pocket. I see a flash of red, before it eventually steadies, revealing a rather tall guy, who can't be much older than me. He had pleasantly dark red hair, blood red eyes, a nice, black, sleeveless hoodie, and a bright yellow shirt.

When I looked up into his face, the guy's eyes widened considerably. "A-A person...!"

"...Uhhh..." I had no idea what to say. Who is this guy? I've never seen him before in my life!

I didn't even need to say anything after all, because this albino stranger skipped (yes, _**skipped**_!) up to me, stopping just a foot away, beaming at me like I'm an angel.

"Hi!" His enthusiasm certainly was welcome, but he had yet to introduce himself.

"Hi, uh...?" I hinted, hoping he would get it.

Well, I was halfway there, "What's your name?"

"Alexis. You?" I guess you just have to be blunt with cheery guys like him.

"Alexis is a great name! You're so adorable!...Oh, I'm Arlo!"

"Well... it's nice to meet you, Arlo. How long have you been here?" He didn't respond right away, it looked like he was nervously calculating an answer... but that's crazy talk! There's no need for anxiety here, right?

"Mmm~ Not too long ago, I think... This place is huge, though! I got lost the moment I appeared here!"

"Oh, so that means you're just like the rest of us..." I muttered, mostly to myself. I didn't expect him to hear me!

"Th-there are other people here?!" Arlo looked around, excitedly (but also nervously?).

"Yeah, of course there is. They're all waiting for me back at the gift shop... don't worry, they're all... pretty nice..." I couldn't look him in the eyes, knowing Spencer and Thane's tendency to jeer at each other. What if they annoyed this poor guy?

"Oh, phew! I was freaking out because I couldn't find anyone anywhere! I thought I was all alone...!" He sounded so insecure, I nearly started bawling at the puppy dog face he started to make. "Hey, Alexis~ Will you be my best friend?"

"...S-sure..." I wasn't even able to bring up the smallest desire of wanting to turn him down, not that I'd have that desire in the first place.

"Really?"

"O-of course!" Arlo enveloped me in a bear hug, taking me by surprise.

"I like you, Alexis! You're nice! We're going to be the bestest of friends!" He squealed, and I could not help laughing at his childish nature.

"I'm sure we will be. Now, let's get back to the others, and I'll introduce you, okay? The others are probably starting to wonder what's taking me so long..."

"Okay!"

Arlo tries to take all of the bags, but I insist on carrying at least one myself. Luckily, we weren't that far away from our destination to begin with.

* * *

"Finally! It's about time, Alexis, I was getting so hungry I was about to eat Thane's leg... though that wouldn't taste too good..." I was blessed to hear Spencer's sweet, caring voice the moment I stepped through the door. "...Is that all you bought?"

I shook my head as I set my stuff on the table, and opened the door for Arlo to come inside. I had to lead him to the table, since the bags covered up his view. Now that there was six of us to feed, I'm glad I bought a bunch of food, because the others started digging in immediately, with occasional glances at Arlo, who just hugged me continuously while I ate. Bryce was staring at us the entire time, not even trying to be discreet about it.

"...Um, Alexis?" I turned my head towards Bryce, letting him know that I was listening, "...Is that an acquaintance, or a friend... or something...?"

"Oh yeah... Guys, this is Arlo." I gesture towards my personal heating blanket, who grins mischievously at everyone, "I met him outside of the café ten minutes ago. He's new to all this."

"Hello!" Arlo let go of me with one of his arms to wave enthusiastically.

"...You mean you're total strangers?" Spencer raised an eyebrow at Arlo, who was now petting my head.

"Nuh uh! Alexis and I are bestest friends!"

"Oh? Since when?" Even Thane sounded curious.

"Since ten minutes ago!" Arlo looked super accomplished. The others looked to me, but I just merely shrugged, as if to say 'meh, what can you do?'.

"...Well. It's.. nice to meet you, Arlo." It might have been just me, but did Bryce actually sound hostile towards Arlo for a moment?

...Probably just my imagination.

Anyway, the others decided to introduce themselves, rather than wait for me to introduce them,

"Thane."

"Spencer!" Spencer seemed set on outshining Thane, even if it was just in introductions.

Lena looked up from the cake she was nibbling on, "...Lena."

"Ale-Oh, wait. You already know my name..." I trail off, slightly laughing.

"Bob...!" I didn't even need to wait, I good-naturedly poked Bryce in the side with my elbow.

"Your name is Bryce!" Bryce smiled, ignoring me completely.

"Soo, Arlo." Arlo looked up at Bryce, who was only a few inches taller, "Where are you from?"

I thought I saw a flash of panic go through Arlo's eyes, but then it was gone, drowning in his wide smile. "I actually live here in East Cigam."

"Oh? I live here as well. Maybe we've seen each other-" Spencer cut off Thane's curious attempts at befriending Arlo.

"South Cigam for me..." I saw Spencer glance at Bryce, and instantly knew what was coming, "...Let me guess, Sweater Vest here is from West Cigam?"

"Whoa... how'd you know?" Bryce sounded like an amazed little kid that was just shown a magic trick for the first time.

"...Lucky guess." Spencer turned his attention back towards his food.

I saw the realization make it's way through Bryce's face, and he sadly frowned, a little whimper slipping out. "You... You think I'm weird?"

Spencer coughed, reciting the rumor that circles West Cigam. "'Weird things happen in West Cigam'."

Glad to know you're that predictable, Spencer. I sigh inwardly.

"Well, this didn't happen in West Cigam, so you can't blame Bryce." I soothed, and then tried to change the conversation. "What about you, Lena? Where are you from?"

She nibbled a bit more on her slice of funnel cake, before glancing up at me. I almost thought she wasn't going to participate in the discussion, since we had added yet another tall guy.. but..

"...North Cigam." I smile gently at her.

"That's nice, I've heard that North Cigam is a pleasant place to be." I turn my attention back to the food, particularly those hamburgers... "This means we're all from different areas of Cigam... exciting!"

There was some silence, and exchanged glances (I didn't notice, I was too far gone in burger heaven), but Thane was the one to speak up in the end. "Wait, Alexis."

I tilted my head up to look at him, "Yes?"

"Where are you from?"

"Oh... did I not say it? I'm sorry! I'm from Central Cigam." I grin, and dig back into my burger.

"...Seriously?" Spencer's surprised tone made me look back up.

"...Yeah, is something wrong? Lost a long-distance girlfriend that lives in my area?"

His face burned in embarrassment, "No! I was just curious, that's all! I've never been there... so I just wanted to know what it was like, is all..."

"Oh... well, it's pretty normal, I guess. Nothing too special." I shrug.

"Maybe when we leave, we could all go on a tour of each other's neighborhoods? I really want to see where you live, Alexis!" Bryce gave me puppy eyes, pouting the most adorable pout ever.

"M-maybe. That depends on how soon we get out." The sooner we leave, the less likely Jay will be mopping up the blood from my cold, dead corpse. "...Maybe I'll even introduce you guys to my pals, if we're lucky."

Thane looked suddenly _very_ attentive, but then started talking about something else the moment he noticed me staring at him. "So, Arlo... what's your number?"

Arlo was startled at the sudden change of topic, "H-huh?... You mean my phone number?"

"...No. I meant the number on your phone." I could practically envision the words going in through one ear, and out the other, dumping themselves onto the floor. Bryce must have been able to see it too, because he started to explain it in an easier way, gently.

"All of our phones display a number instead of the time here."

"...Really? Uh..." Arlo scoots away from me so that he can search his pockets for his phone. Eventually, he starts turning around in circles. "I can't find it...I think I lost it somewhere." Arlo rubs his neck, smiling sheepishly.

"What?!" Echoed from all of our grouplings (except Lena, who just proceeded to stop nibbling on her cake altogether; it fell to the ground).

"It's okay, it's not the first time I've lost it! I'm pretty skilled at misplacing things on occasion." Arlo started to laugh nervously, but it slowly died down once he noticed the looks he was getting. "...What?"

Spencer started shaking him by the shoulder, "Oh my god... this is bad... this is **so** bad..."

"...Huh?"

"You won't be able to charge your phone if you don't even have it!" Spencer smacked Arlo upside the head, sending the poor lad into a fit of whimpers and (possibly crocodile) tears.

"W-well, yeah... Duh?" Now, even dense little Arlo seemed to be getting the fact that what was going on wasn't a good thing.

Spencer sighed, smacking his palm to his face, and dragging it up his face. "Ah, that's right... you're new to whole thing. Okay, so, our energy is directly linked to how much battery life is in our phones, and we have to keep charging them, or else we'll become exhausted."

This appeared to shake Arlo pretty badly, "Wha... R-really?!" I could've sworn I heard him say 'That's weird...' "...This is bad, isn't it?"

Thane tried to calm Arlo down, "We could call your number as we walk around the park... unless you left it on silent."

Arlo seemed to get even more downcast the more we talked to him.

"Arlo... you didn't..." I gasp at him.

"...I did. It's on silent." He tried to crack a weak smile, but it wasn't very convincing, so he sighed instead. "B-but my phone has a pretty long battery life when it's not in use, even if it's on! Maybe we'll find it before it runs out?"

Spencer just seemed to make a small side-glance at my phone, that I had taken out just to see if my number had changed... it hadn't... and Spencer noticed.

"A-Alexis! What happened to your number?!" If that wasn't bad enough, he just HAD to shout it for everyone to hear!

"I-I don't know... it just dropped suddenly." I had no idea how to respond, everyone was staring at me so intensely.

"How long have you been hiding it?" Thane sound aggravated.

"Um, it dropped right before I met up with Arlo, so... not long."

"So Alexis's number went from it's original 12 down to 4... Mine went from 29 to 35, Bryce's: 17 to 15, Lena's: 20 to 24... and Spencer's stayed the same at 22." Cue curious glare at Spencer from Thane.

I felt a large hand squeeze my shoulder really tightly, but I didn't yelp, because it was just Bryce.

"But... Alexis, your number is seriously... it's dangerously low! You're so close to hitting zero...!" Even his concern for my possible-soon-to-be-maybe death is adorable!

Thane sighs dejectedly, "I thought that I was onto something.. but after seeing all of our numbers... I don't know."

"Oh, yeaah. Remember that one time when this whole thing made sense?...Yeah, me neither." Spencer's sarcasm was slightly appreciated. It's nice to know he at least has the humor to tease Thane, even at a time like this.

Bryce ignored those two's short skirmish, "Is there anything that you've done that might have caused this to happen?"

By now, his eyes were starting to get watery and puppyish, adding to his adorableness! It was semi-distracting, so I couldn't bring myself to look at him anymore; I averted my eyes to look at my feet instead. "...I-I don't know... nothing comes to mind."

Spencer rubbed his chin in deep thought, "...Do you think that maybe our social interactions affect our numbers?"

Thane sighed again, "Perhaps... but how?"

"My head huuurts~!" Arlo whines. I pat his shoulder in comfort.

What should I do...? There's nothing I can logically think of...

"...It's alright. I don't mind if my number drops to zero."

There's a long, stunned silence as everyone stares at me for my sudden outburst. Nobody looks too terribly pleased with that statement... especially Bryce. He looks like he is- oh, he actually _is_ starting to cry.

"W-what." Arlo is the first one to actually say something, even though it's only one word.

"Well, if my number drops to zero, I get to leave, right? At least then I won't have to worry about all this anymore."

"No way." I was a little startled by how serious Spencer got suddenly. "You don't get to leave just because you want to. Things can't just be that easy. That's... too unfair to the rest of us." Is it just me, or did Spencer glance over at Bryce? Maybe he was just wondering why the hell Bryce is crying (but it's silent crying!).

"...But..." What? I have nothing to really say, I'm just too... in shock? Maybe.

"I agree with Spencer." Thane stares me down, "We only have each other right now, we shouldn't focus on losing everything."

Lena nods viciously, appearing to be quite upset. I was too busy staring at Lena's head, wondering if her hat was going to fall off, to notice Bryce reach out and pull me into a oxygen-killing hug, which is located on his LAP by the way, since we're sitting on the floor (nobody wanted to bother grabbing chairs from the café, I guess).

"Please try to be stronger for us~" I could only stumble over my words, my face was on fire, and I was not able to move at all.

Arlo started patting my head, but I'm pretty sure he was actually trying to pull me out of Bryce's grip, "Everything's going to be all right, Alexis~"

"We should just focus on one problem at a time, okay?" Thane's voice was full of amusement. I guess I know who's not going to be helping me, thanks Thane! What a pal. Spencer's not moving to help me either, I think. I don't even know. All I can see is blue fabric. Speaking of not helping me, though... is Lena laughing? I'm pretty sure I can hear her laughing at me. Great.

"Yeah, don't worry about me! I always find my phone sooner or later." Arlo laughed, but I could sense a tint of frustration. He was now just plain out trying to pry me off of Bryce (who wasn't budging at all).

I finally manage to at least get the space to breathe, and try smacking Bryce (not possible), "O-okay! Alright! I get it! Please let me breathe!"

It seemed to finally register in Bryce's mind what he was doing, because he practically threw me off him, stuttering up a storm.

"O-oh jeez! I-I'm s-sorry! I don't even know w-what I was doing...!" He curled up into a ball, and everyone laughed at him (except me, I was just sitting there, overheated).

* * *

We all agreed to meet up at tomorrow and ride the ferris wheel, and then go for a nice swim. Then the next day we'll ride the roller coaster and watch an evening movie. I don't know why Arlo was so insistent on this, when I know by experience that the rides aren't working! It's disappointing...

Anyway, for the rest of the day we're just going to wander around, I guess. I walk outside of the gift shop, and I (literally) run into Bryce, who jumps a little when I bump into him. He turns around and sees that it's me, and turned red.

"O-oh, hi Alexis..."

I know for a fact that if you act casual after something embarrassing, the other party will calm down too, so that's exactly what I did. "Hey Bryce!"

"Uh... how have you been?" Smooth, Bryce. You totally didn't just see me five minutes ago.

"I'm great, what about you~?" He seemed to finally calm down (at least a little bit).

"Same." We stood there in an awkward silence (on his part, at least), until I managed to come up with a nice question to take his mind off things.

"Hey, can I ask you something? Besides what I just asked, that is." Bryce was pretty eager to talk about something, anything... ADORABLE!

"Of course, you can ask anything!"

"So, did you come to the amusement alone?"

"Nope, I came by myself." That's... weird. Does he have no friends?...No, that's impossible. He's such a nice guy!

"Why'd you do that? Do you really like amusement parks or something?" I mean.. even Jay wouldn't come to an amusement park by herself.

He laughed, "Oh, (pfft) no. I came here to gather data for my project. I needed large groups of people for it, and the amusement park opening was the best opportunity."

"What's it for? Social studies?"

"No, I'm planning on majoring in psychology... Well, I've only just started my studies, but I already have my heart set on it... does that sound weird?"

"No, that's great! What's your project on?" He grins, and starts explaining a bunch of things. He turned away, choosing to sit on the bench in front of the gift shop.

"Well, I was comparing people who came here alone, and people who arrived with groups. Many of the people who were alone either sought for groups to join, or mingled with other solo visitors, because if they were complete strangers, they felt the need to conform and be part of a group. They'd even change their behavior and opinions just to fit in and be like the others. They say that 'birds of a feathre flock together', but sheesh! Those people were practically plucking out their own feathers to replace them with fake, plastic ones! I started to question what exactly makes an individual an 'individual'. Are we really individuals if we're willing to change how we think and feel so easily to be accepted by others?...But then, I saw your group." He turned to me with a small smile, "The six of your seemed to be having a lot of fun, even though there were clearly differing opinions. One of you was even trying to beat down the rest of your friends! I thought that maybe it was just a coincidence, and that it was just a rare occurrence... but then I actually met you, and we teamed up with the others."

Bryce laughs fondly, "Even though we were grouped together without any prior knowledge of each other, none of us felt a need to change in order to fit in. And, because we kept our real feathers... we all still have the ability to fly."

I was busy in my own thoughts, like: JESUS CHRIST, BRYCE SAW US?! WE'RE NOT EXACTLY THE NICEST GROUP... KAT EVEN TRIED TO STRANGLE MEL JUST WHEN WE GOT INSIDE THE PARK!... Gosh, I hope he didn't see _that... _but then again, he said _'one of you was even trying to beat down the rest of your friends!'_... wait. He could be talking about when we were forced to leave the arcade, and Kat was super pissed about it, since she didn't get to exchange her tickets.

Poor Mel got most of the abuse, since everyone but me would hit her back. I mean, I'd probably smack her too, but Kat just doesn't hit me. It must be because of my rad black hair, since it's her favorite hair color. Go me!

Apparently, I was too quiet for too long, because Bryce frowned and looked at his feet, looking all sad and in despair. "O-oh... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to talk that much... I'm just weird, huh? To be so interested in such an odd subject..."

Even his dejected face is adorable!

"N-no! I don't think being weird is a bad thing. Weird people are good for the world!" He looks at me, his eyes full of hope. S-so cute...

"...You really think so?"

"Well, yeah! Without somebody thinking outside the box, nothing new would ever be discovered, because everyone would think the same. If that happened, we'd never really advance, would we?"

He started chuckling, "Heh... True."

"Besides, Kat and Jay are into psychology too, so I don't find the subject weird at all! I even enjoy listening to them ramble about various things they think about society."

"Oh, really? I definitely want to meet them now... if the Kat girl won't hurt me..."

Now I laughed, "Oh, as long as you start talking about something interesting first thing instead of asking 'how are you/life/school', she's not going to immediately hate you." ...Possibly.

"...Well, that's good to know, I suppose. I hope she doesn't have anything against quirky people... since I'm from West Cigam and all.."

"She doesn't discriminate over stupid things like that. What's West Cigam like?"

He laughs, "Oh, it's weird for sure! You can never know what's going to happen next. Most of the people I know have actually never been over here in East Cigam. I guess the grand opening of Pactheland was the perfect excuse for most people to come here."

"...Do you regret coming here?" He flails his arms around.

"Oh no, not at all! I'm actually having a really good time here, I even think I'm lucky to be in this situation... don't tell the others, though."

I grin at his cheerfulness, "...Lucky? You're pretty optimistic."

Bryce rubs the back of his neck, laughing, "I guess I'm a man of adventure."

Then, he sighed. "...Aw man, I was so close to finishing my project, too."

"Well, at least you'll be able to work on it once we get out of here."

"...Yeah, I guess. Though, there are a few more important things I should settle before I jump back into it..."

It was then, as Bryce stared off into space thinking about his project, that I spotted Lena crouching behind one of the carousel's horsies, watching us engage in our conversation. She noticed me staring at her, and let out an 'eep' as she tried to hide herself better.

I turn to Bryce, "Hey, can you got wait for me over there, in front of the carousel, but by the café?"

He nods, and I turn back to Lena, walk over to her, and crouch down.

"Psst, Lena. It's okay, Bryce isn't here. Do you need something?" She peeks over the side of the pony, and tugs her hat down over her eyes, mumbling something.

"...I'm sorry, what?"

". . .anted. . .orry. . ."

"Can you speak louder? I can't hear you at all."

Her face turns pink, and she starts shaking like a little chihuahua, "I-I wanted to speak with B-Bryce..."

"Oh, well that's good. I just secluded him from everyone." I gestured towards Bryce, who was just staring off into space, "Go ahead."

"...B-but weren't you busy talking?"

"Ah, that's all that's stopping you? It's no problem, we're all pals here. I can wait, and it's really no big deal if you want to talk to him. Go on, be my guest! You can do it, Lena!" That last sentence was to encourage her, since I could see the nervousness in her movements.

"O-okay... here I go...!" She gets up slowly, and stumbles over to Bryce, taking one last look back at me, who is now hiding behind one of the horsies to 'monitor' her progress with socializing with taller individuals. Kat would be so proud! Anyway, I gave her a thumbs up, and she tugged on Bryce's shirt.

"Huh?" Bryce spun around, trying to find who had just tried to get his attention. I almost thought Lena was in his blind spot, but then he looked down at her, "Oh, Lena! What's up?"

Lena shuffled her feet in discomfort, "...I..." She didn't even make a coherent sentence, just that one letter.

Bryce waited for five minutes, but when he gathered that she wasn't going to speak anymore, he smiled, trying to egg her on. "Yes? What is it, Lena?"

There was an even longer silence, but Bryce broke it again with a sigh, "...You never look at anyone (except Alexis) in the eyes. Why is that?"

More silence, but now Lena was staring at the ground, holding herself tight. Bryce crouched down so that he could look her in the eyes. "...Look at me, please?"

Slowly, Lena managed to look up into Bryce's eyes, taking off her hat. Then, suddenly, it was like the floodgate of her mind was opened!

"...I can't look up. I get too nervous, and lose my voice whenever I see a face that's looking down at mine. That's why I always wear this hat, it's to block the view of those who are above me in height. It's really inconvenient... because I'm much shorter than the other people my age... I-I'm sorry... I was scared of you... since you're tall... and your face is really high up... but, I'd really like to be friends... if you don't mind..." Lena turned her range of sight back down to the ground, and kicked a tiny pebble.

After a little while, Bryce starts laughing, startling all of the life out of Lena. "Oh, so that's it? Gosh, that's a relief! I thought you just straight up hated me."

"...I know. That's why I had to tell you... that I'm sorry. I just wasn't brave enough to do it on my own. Alexis really helped me out. Thanks to her, I'm going to be a stronger person now. I'm going to try and start looking at people in the eyes, instead of at my feet... but for now, I still can't do it. I... hope that we can be friends someday... maybe..."

Bryce reached out and ruffled her hair, "You're already my friend, Lena. You've been my friend this whole time, because you're honest, and I trust you. However, I'd like to become a better friend by adjusting to your needs. So, whenever you want to talk to me, I'll crouch down just like this, okay? After all, you don't have a problem talking to me right now, right?"

"...No."

"Then that settles it. We're friends!" Lena stared at Bryce, her mouth slightly opened.

"...U-um... okay! Th-thank you... I have a friend..."

Bryce smiled gently, "Don't forget about Alexis. I'm sure she considers you a friend too. Why don't you ask her, and thank her at the same time?"

He looked over at me, who was slightly tearing up at the pure feelings of friendship I was getting.

"...Alexis, why are you crying?" That's when all the tears started cascading down like water flies out of a broken dam.

"F-friendship...!" I made my way over to Lena, and just smothered her in a hug. "Of course I'll be your friend, little darling! You and I, we'll be great friends, and then people will be screaming into the sunset 'WHY IS THEIR FRIENDSHIP SO BEAUTIFUL?!' for all eternity!"

The two of them weren't able to say anything as I just stood there sobbing all over Lena's hair.

* * *

The next day, I was the first one to show up at the ferris wheel. I guess that's what I get for waking up at seven AM. After an hour and a half, Bryce comes up, beaming when he sees me standing there.

"Good morning, Alexis! Have you been waiting here long?" Too cute... but it might be better if I lie.

"Oh, not at all... isn't the weather looking really nice?" Perfect~! I am the best at changing topics!

"Oh, yeah... I hope that the weather in our world is as nice as this when we leave. It's been a long time since I've had a picnic... I'll probably just pack a few sandwiches and go."

I tilt my head, "All by yourself?"

"No, of course not. It'd be nice if you..." Cue blushing and stuttering (SO CUTE!), "a-and the others(!) wouldn't mind joining me...?"

"I don't know about the others... but I'd love to go!" Kat will probably tag along, since she hates it when any of us interact with other people, but that can easily be changed... I'll just bribe her with a sufficient amount of Sprite.

I look around, soaking in the view of all the giantic statues of various mascots. "There sure are a lot of mascots here... but they're all adorable!"

Bryce laughs, "I agree, but Saki is my favorite. Not only is she green, my favorite color, but designing a mascot based off a sock is quite clever."

"Oh yes, she's quite the little cutie, isn't she?" Say it... say iiiit...!

"Very! Not as cute as you, though..." He coughed, realizing his slip up, and flushed a deep red, "I-I mean... what? Did I just say that out loud?"

YES! THAT'S JUST WHAT I WANTED.

JUST.

SO.

ADORABLE...!

"Heh...heh..." I started laughing, but I managed to choke words out between my fit of laughter, "...Y-yeah... but, I don't really (HAH)... mind..."

He looks at me in a mixture of embarrassment and wonder, "...You don't?"

"HEY! HI ALEXIS!" Arlo's loud, yet cheery, voice booms out, almost making me want to kill him. HE JUST RUINED THE PERFECT ATMOSPHERE!

Arlo comes barreling out of nowhere, tackling me in a hug. "YAYYY! I WANNA RIDE THE FERRIS WHEEL WITH ALEXIS!"

I peeked over Arlo's arms to see Bryce's mouth twitching. Aww... jealousy is adorable!

"Arlo! Stop running ahead! I already told you that we set up a specific group for each cabin...!" I saw the others running to catch up (except Lena, who just magically teleported beside Bryce). Thane smacked Arlo upside the head, and Bryce pulled me behind him when Arlo let go of me to grab his head and whine.

"Owww...!"

Ignoring him, Thane turned to the three of us (Bryce, Lena, me), "Alright, so we have to split into groups since one cabin can't hold all six of us. I'm going with Arlo, Spencer's going with Bryce... and Lena wants to go alone."

"...No, I'll go with Alexis... if she wants to..." I felt a pang of guilt, because I already knew where I'd be going into.

"Come with ussssss, Alexis~~!" Arlo sang, trying to convince me, but his tone-deafness wasn't helping him. Not to mention the fact that he rUINED EVERYTHING!

"Knock it off, Arlo! Alexis can make her own damn decisions." Spencer grumbled, smacking Arlo upside the head. I almost felt bad for him about that, but, again, _**HE RUINED EVERYTHING**_!

"So, who do you want to go with, Alexis?" Thane looked at me with a mixture of amusement and pity.

"I'll go with Bryce and Spencer, if they don't mind..."

"Oh, we don't mind at all, right Spencer?" Bryce grinned at Spencer, who edged away from him.

"...Yeah, it's no problem." Thane's amusement increased, but he just shrugged, getting into a yellow cabin with Arlo, who was showing every sign of depression.

Lena patted my arm as the two of them climbed into a red (a rather pleasant shade, I might add) cabin, "...Good luck."

. . . .

None of us said a single thing for a long while, a heavy, awkward atmosphere crushing down upon us. We're all just staring at each other for no reason.

Bryce seems to finally have thought of a topic, because he looks to me and starts talking (I'm sure it'll be quite delightful), "Hey, Alexis. What's your favorite color?"

...What. Is that a psychology question? Whatever, I guess I'll respond.

"Blue. My favorite color is royal blue."

Spencer gives me a weird look, "...Really?"

"Yeah, why?"

"...I don't know. I just pegged you as a purple person." I laugh at him.

"...A lot of people that I know who like blue are quite compassionate... and they tend to like red."

"...The pokemon character or the color?"

"...The color."

"Oh. Well, I _do_ like red... but Red from pokemon is also pretty rad..." The two of them stare at me rather hard.

"...Anyway, Bryce... Was the silence getting to you that bad?"

Bryce shakes his head, "...Oh! No, I ask nearly everyone I meet that question."

"So you determine their personalities just from their favorite color?"

"No! That'd be terrible! I just observe their behaviors and speech to see how similar or different they are to the other people who like the same color."

"Has this always been your thing...?"

"Oh, you didn't know, Spencer? Bryce is majoring in psychology." Bryce turns a light pink.

Spencer sighs, "That explains a bunch..."

I wonder what he means by that...?

Bryce grinned at Spencer (who flinched, for some reason), "So, Spencer... what's your favorite color?"

"...Huh? Me?... I don't have one." Bryce raised an eyebrow at him, and I could already see a twinkle of mischeif in his eyes.

"...Oh. You're one of _**those**_ guys..."

Spencer did not take kindly to that taunt, "What's THAT supposed to mean?!"

"...Alexis, what do you think?" The two of them turn to me, who was just bemusedly watching.

"...Oh, you mean the fear of nail clippers that all people without a favorite color have, right? Kat's told me about it all the time, I swear..." I shake my head, managing to maintain a completely serious facade. Gosh, Kat would just be incredibly proud of me! I've been eavesdropping, lying, _**and**_ tricking others! If I could steal things, that'd be major points!... But not only is that illegal, but I don't find it that great.

"Correct! Just as I'd expect from a friend of yours, Alexis!"

Spencer looked startled, "What?"

"It's true. A study at Reton University has been done on this! They interviewed over 100 people with no favorite color, and 80% of them had vuchipsalidiphobia, the fear of nail clippers." Oh my, Kat would be proud of Bryce's lying too.

"...R-really?" Spencer was totally duped, he was obviously thinking way too hard about this. "...Well, they do cut things... and the nail files on them **are** rather pointy and sharp..."

"You're thinking really hard about this, aren't you?" Bryce's grin grew bigger, and that's when Spencer knew he'd been had.

"Shit... you were just messing with me."

"Heh! You're smart, Spencer. I was surprised you even bought into it even a little bit."

"Don't use your damn psychology tests on me!" Bryce started laughing at Spencer's embarrassment.

Spencer turned to me with an exasperated look, "But, really, Alexis? Nail clippers? Geez, what else is going on in that mind of yours?"

I start laughing evilly, "...Do you really want to know~?"

He turned away, not looking at either of us. "...No, I have a bad feeling about that path."

"Aww..."

Spencer squinted his eyes, and pointed above us, "Is that Arlo and Thane? Why the hell is Arlo jumping around in his cabin?... Is that Thane screaming his head off?"

* * *

Thane practically threw himself out of his cabin when he got out, and honestly, I don't blame him! How could Arlo think that bouncing around in the cabin was a good idea?

That didn't stop Spencer from making fun of him, though.

"Hahaha! You're such a wimp! You're really THAT scared of heights? Why'd you voluntarily go on, then?" Thane got up, and glared at Spencer.

"Shut up! Let's just go!" And then he stomped off, angrily mumbling about how he's stuck with a bunch of idiots. Why's he including Bryce, Lena, and I? We didn't do anything to him... Oh, I guess Bryce and I laughed at him when Cashy said he was a sexual predator, but c'mon, that was a joke!

I sighed, and went on ahead of the others.

* * *

As I was passing by the café to get to the pool house, I ran into Bryce and Arlo, who somehow got ahead of me (maybe they used a shortcut?).

Bryce saw me first, "Hi, Alexis!"

"What are you two up?"

"I was just talking with Arlo... Anyway, Arlo, can I ask you something?"

Arlo beamed at him, "Sure thing!"

"So, you haven't forgotten that you'll be in serious trouble if your phone runs out of power, right?" Arlo's face lost some color.

"O-oh... y-yeah. I looked all over yesterday... but I still haven't found it yet." He started to nervously laugh.

"...I envy how you remain so optimistic, despite having the worst position of all." Wow, this is coming from _Bryce_, aka Mr. Smiles!

Arlo shrugs, "Well, what can 'ya do? Moping around feeling sorry for myself won't do much, right? I'll just hope for the best and see how things go. Maybe a miracle will happen, and my phone will turn up."

"Wow... that's a really great way of looking at things, Arlo." I smile admiringly at Arlo. His whole demeanor changes, and it looks like he's gonna jump me for another hug, but Bryce saves me.

"So, what's your phone look like? That'll help us find it quicker, maybe, if we know what we're looking for."

"Oh, uh... well, it's... small... and gray. I wish it was a better color... like red. If it was red, I totally would have found it by now!"

Bryce took his phone out of his pocket, showing it to Arlo. "Really? My phone's gray too. Are they the same model?"

"Ooh! Does it have a camera?" Arlo just takes it without even asking, reminding me of two certain blonde girls...

"...Uh, it does, but the pictures usually come out blurry." I don't think Arlo was even listening, because he found the button that opens it up.

"Whoa! There's a button that makes it flip open!" He started giggling, pressing the button and closing it repeatedly.

"It's a neat feature, huh? It helps prevent butt-dialing." Again, it didn't seem like Arlo was listening...

"...Hey, Arlo... you shouldn't play with it like that-"

Too late! Arlo had already dropped Bryce's phone, knocking the battery right out of it. I glance at Bryce to see if he's angry... but his eyes turn BLACK and he _FALLS RIGHT OVER_, all stiff and dead!

The two of us stare at his supposedly dead body, and finally we flip our shit.

"AAAAAAAAHHH!" Arlo screams.

"GYAHHH!"

"I'M SORRY! I-I'M SO SORRY!"

"OH MY GOD, BRYCE!"

HOW IS NOBODY HEARING US SCREAM?!

"W-wait! H-hold on...! I can fix it!" Arlo picks up the battery, and the phone, but his hands are too jittery, so they keep juggling back and forth.

"What are you doing?!" I screech at him.

"I-I just have to put this thing back in, right? RIGHT?!"

"I don't know! B-be careful! Don't drop it!" Arlo finally manages to stick the battery back into the phone, and... nothing happens.

"...Oh no... Did I break him...?" Right then, the color came back into Bryce's eye, and he jumped back into the spot he was previously standing. He looks back and forth between the two of us, confused by our suddenly pale faces, and freaked out postures.

"...Huh?"

I stare over at Arlo, ignoring Bryce, "...W-what would've happened... if his phone had broken?"

"...I don't think we should ever find out..."

Bryce was even more confused now, and slightly unnerved by our secret (to him, anyway) talk. "What? Did something happen? Why are you guys...?"

Arlo shoves Bryce's phone back into his hands. "U-uh...!"

"N-nothing! It's... nothing..."

"Uh, y-yeah...!"

"...?"

* * *

I ran ahead of the two of them, finding Thane just standing in front of the pool house, staring at his phone.

"...Thane? What are you doing? Shouldn't you just go in?" He turned around, looking like he was about to blow, but he settled down when he saw me.

"Oh, it's just you, Alexis. I was just thinking while I waited for the others... 'when falling damp tree unveils ghost'... it has to mean something, right?"

"...Maybe it's symbolic?"

"...Well, that doesn't bode well. The whole 'ghost' thing makes me think that somebody's going to die."

I take in a sharp breath, "O-oh geez! Don't say that! N-nobody's going to die...!"

Or, at the very least, while we're in here, I hope. I'm definitely going to die when I get back...

"How do you know?" Jesus... that sure got me stumped. I guess I really can't just assume things...

"...I'm just kidding."

I sigh, "Geez... Don't do that!"

Thane proceeds to freak out (while still having a complete poker face... impressive!), "S-sorry! I didn't mean to scare you."

"...Oh my gosh... What if you're actually right, though...? If it's symbolic, then it actually makes sense." Maybe, if the yellow cabin had fallen, the sky would rain, or something? I mean, obviously Thane and Arlo would have died... Would the rain have sent us home?

"'Oh, yeaah. Remember that one time when this whole thing made sense?...Yeah, me neither.'"

"...What?"

He shrugged, "Quote, Spencer. It's the one think he's said that I actually like, but I hate how he's always jumping to conclusions. Seriously, don't be like him and assume things so quickly. Even... even if they seem plausible. It's like love. You have to give your heart time to decide how you really feel about a person."

I just stare at him, with my jaw slightly slack. Who knew that even Thane was capable of liking somebody?

...That's rather harsh of me. I didn't mean it like that.

He started flipping out, his face a dark scarlet. "U-uh, I mean... th-that was just an analogy!"

I give him a smug grin, "Suuure it was, Thane!"

He turned around with a huff, "Sh-shut up...!" And then he ran into the pool house.

I laugh, and follow him in.

I wonder what the girl who captured Thane's heart is like?

Hehe...

* * *

I'm really glad I packed my good swimsuit! It's really rad, it's a nice shade of lavender, with little blue flowers all over it! It's just the cutest piece of clothing ever! (o7o)

I look over at our favorite duo, who seem to be emitting sparks between the two of them. They seem to be fighting over the fact that Spencer doesn't have a swimsuit with him.

"Heh, can you not swim or something?" This greatly amuses Thane, who seems to thinking of revenge on Spencer.

"I can swim just fine, thank you very much, asshat!" Spencer glowers at Thane, who remains unfazed.

"...Really?" He took a few steps towards Spencer, and took out Spencer's phone. Spencer was clearly taken by surprise, but he was even more surprised (like everyone else) when Thane _**shoved him into the pool**_!

Luckily, Spencer wasn't kidding when he said he could swim, because he immediately resurfaced, but he was fuming mad. Which is the correct reaction, I guess.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU FUCKING IDIOT! I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU! THANE, GET YOUR GOD DAMN ASS DOWN HERE! COME FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN, AND SUBMIT TO YOUR FATE OF BEING HORRIBLY DROWNED BY MY HANDS!"

"There we go, that's the spirit!" Thane almost sounded PLEASED by Spencer's threats of horribly murdering him! Anyway, he gently tossed Spencer's phone onto the cement (I internally cringed at the memory of Bryce's 'incident'), and jumped into the pool to start up a fist fight with Spencer.

Bryce laughed, "Play nice, you two. Don't get blood in the pool."

I wasn't too interested in their little skirmish... plus, it didn't look like they'd be finishing anytime soon, so I walked over to where Bryce was lying on a lounge chair, and sat down beside him.

"...It's a nice day, huh?" Did he forget that I already told him that earlier?...Whatever, not important.

"Yeah, it is. Aren't you going to swim?"

Bryce grimaced, "...Let's just say that I'm not the most graceful swimmer there ever was."

"So?" Jay can't swim at all without goggles, that's why she sank like a rock

"Well... the way I swim is embarrassing..."

"You? Embarrassed? I can't imagine it." Well, except for all those other times... but they don't count! I'm talking about consciously embarrassed!

"...Maybe I'm embarrassed because you're here." Welp, there goes my assumption. And my nice Puerto Rican complexion, which is now a reddish color.

"H-huh?"

"Well, who wouldn't want to impress such a cute girl like you?" Oh my god... how can he remain so calm!?... Is he joking with me?

I sigh, and cuddle my chin onto my knees, wrapping my arms around them to curl into a ball. "Why would you joke about that?"

"...You think I'm joking?"

"Well, yeah..." He stares at me with a peculiar expression.

"...Aw, you caught me." I let out a sigh of disappointment. I was slightly hoping he was going to say that I shouldn't assume things like that, but I guess Thane was right in the sense that I shouldn't just think things are going to happen like how I want.

"I knew it... You shouldn't fool around about that kind of stuff."

"Why not?" He sat up slightly, leaning on one elbow as he stares at me.

"...Well... it's because it's.. mean." AND CRUEL. AND KILLS HEARTS.

"Huh?"

"I mean, I know I'm not that cute, but..."

"...What? But you are a cute girl."

"...Will you stop that?" I snap at him, but I instantly regret it. "...Sorry."

"...Sorry. I was only joking about being embarrassed around you."

"R-really?... O-oh..." Way to go, Alexis. Assume the unjoking.

"Don't be so modest, Alexis. You're cute, trust me. Especially in that swimsuit." My face heats back up.

"A-are you always this blunt...?" I mean, even his earlier statements and actions have been pretty... bold.

"I suppose embarrassment just doesn't come easy to a guy like me."

"...Heh...!" I start giggling, but it slowly turns into laughter, "..S-sure."

* * *

The moment we all got back into our normal clothes, Spencer and Thane stomped off to the arcade, shouting about continuing their fight, since Arlo forced them made to stop.

"Hm... interesting. Let's go watch, shall we?" The rest of us slowly catch up to them.

. . .

"Ahh, it's yet another battle for male dominance. Did you know, Alexis, that this is quite common amongst young teenage males?"

"...Bryce, you're hardly older than the rest of us." Well, the others. I'm only sixteen, and I have a feeling that the rest of them are at least eighteen.

"Actually, Lena's the oldest of the group."

"Oh, really?" How does he know that? Have they spoken without me knowing? Curses...

Speaking of Lena, she's standing right behind Spencer, and she looks like she wants to join in.

"There's no way you will ever beat me."

"Are you asking for a challenge?!"

"I'm telling you, this one isn't like the other shooter games. The controls are completely different."

"Don't talk like you know fucking everything! You only worked here for one god damn day!" OOH! NERD FIGHT!

...It's too adorable... Nerd's are too cute...!

"...Are we going to play or not?"

"Fuck yeah, let's do this."

Lena finally managed to use her voice (SO PROUD!), "...Um... Can I play too?"

The two of them looked confused, and they were startled when they saw us. Did they really not notice the four of us follow them? I guess they were too busy trash talking, nerd-style.

"...Well... sure..." Spencer looked unsure of what he should say, but he made the wise decision.

"Of course you can, Lena. C'mon, let's play."

"Yay~ Good luck everyone!" Arlo cheered.

The three of them lined up at three of the same shooter game, and a serious gamer aura came over the three of them. Spencer started smashing the buttons, Thane was being very calculating... and Lena was just calmly playing the game like a normal person.

Us remaining three stood by the prize exchange counter, and I was sitting on it to make me feel taller.

"So... who do you think will win?" Bryce smiled at the two of us.

"Mmm... I'm not sure. It looks pretty fierce."

Arlo's innocent nature kills us all, "I hope all of them win."

(-_-;) I sigh, "Arlo...If they all win, there won't be any losers... so, nobody would really be a 'winner' then."

"...Oh yeah..."

Bryce laughs, "But they look like they're having fun, right? Maybe we should have a bit of our own fun..."

"Like what?" I arch an eyebrow. This sounds suspicious...

"Anybody in the mood to make a little wager?"

"Ooh! I am!" Arlo cheers, "...Oh, wait. I don't have any money at the moment..."

"That's okay, we can just wager something else!" Bryce grins, "Liiike... how about the winner gets to kiss Alexis?"

"Eh?"

"...All right!" Arlo cheers, louder this time. Spencer yells at him to shut up.

"W-wait, what?!"

"Oh, don't worry Alexis. If you win, you can pick which one of us you want to kiss."

...Is Bryce seriously asking if we want to gamble my first kiss on video games?

...Sure, why not? "Okay."

"So, who are you going to bet on?" Arlo looked super hyped... I'm kind of scared.

"..Uh, I'll go with Lena." I have almost nothing to lose! I'll depend on the power of friendship to save my ass!

"Okay! I pick Spencer!" Arlo grins.

"Then I'll bet on Thane." Bryce looked unnaturally calm. Is that confidence?

"C'mon, Spencer! I believe in you!" Arlo shouted for no real reason, except to irritate his betting object.

"SHUT UP! I'M TRYING TO CONCENTRATE!"

. . .

The power of friendship prevailed! Lena won!

"...Oh! Lena won!" Arlo sounded disappointed.

Spencer and Thane stared at their maker, until Thane cleared his throat.

"...Uh, wow, Lena. You're... pretty good."

Lena stared at the ground, her face pink.

Bryce nudged me in the side, "Looks like you won the bet, Alexis."

That sure got the attention of the three gamers.

"What bet?" Spencer was bewildered.

Arlo put his hands on my shoulders, shaking me a little (in a friendly way), "Alexis, pick me~! You want to kiss me, right~?"

"W-what?" Thane: confused.

"WHAT KIND OF BET DID YOU GUYS MAKE?!" Spencer: angry/confused.

"...A weird one." Bryce laughed.

"C'mon, Alexis~ Who do you want to kiss?"

"...I-I... um..." Oh my god... this is so embarrassing! I have to say it in front of everyone?! "...Uhm... u-uh... uhhhhhhhhhh..." I finally managed to say it, but in a small, tiny whisper. "...B-Bryce..."

Bryce grinned, almost like he EXPECTED that answer, and grabbed my face, planting a kiss right on my forehead. I almost fell off of the counter, I was so embarrassed... Oh geez...!

No doubt I'm like a tomato right now, but it wasn't helped by Lena's soft giggling!

"Congrats, Alexis." I wasn't really able to say anything, I was too busy blubbering over nothing.

"Awww..." Arlo whined, disappointed, "...Oh well, next time, I'll win the bet."

"No! No more weird bets!" Spencer screeched, clearly ashamed that he had to watch what just happened. Thane and Lena were just straight up amused.

I am never going to live this down, am I...

* * *

I got to the meeting place (the roller coaster) early today, too. Not just to sort out my jumbled up thoughts (although that's part of it too), but because I was sort of maybe hoping that Bryce was going to get here before the others again.

I was not disappointed, because Bryce came walking up to me not ten minutes later. I guess I wasn't the only one who likes to rise early.

"Hi, Alexis. It's nice weather today too, huh?" Oh my god... is he seriously acting like nothing happened?

...I guess I'll play along.

"Yeah, it is. Great." I kick a rock onto the tracks behind the ride, not wanting to look at Bryce in the eyes. Oh my gosh... I would remember everything all over again!

He stopped right in front of me, and stood there, staring at me.

"...Hey. Alexis?"

"Hmm?" He grabbed my head, and forced me to look him in the eyes.

"Why won't you look me in the eyes? I like your eyes... but you don't seem to make as much eye contact with me as you do with the others. Though, I guess it's because I'm too tall, and you're on the short side, right?" I was unable to respond properly, my face starting to flame up.

"U-uh..." Luckily, I was saved at Cashy(!), who... ran over Bryce's foot again...

"O-ow!" He let go of my head to rub his foot, his eyes watering.

"A-are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm just fine. It's no big deal. It's just that every once in a while, Cashy will run over my feet. I'm sure he doesn't mean it, but boy... it's not very pleasant..."

"Oh my... I can imagine. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Y-yeah, don't worry!"

The others slowly make their way towards the two of us... but- is Thane laughing?

DID THEY SEE THAT?!

JESUS CHRIST...

All of Thane's smugness disappeared in a flash when he stared at the ride. "...A-are you guys sure you want us to ride this thing? What if it's not running properly?"

"What? You were seriously scared by the heights?"

"No. O-of course not."

"Then you won't mind riding it! There's just enough seats for the six of us! How lucky is that!" Am I imagining the satan horns on Bryce's head? Is that just me?

Arlo squealed like a little girl, "Eee! This is going to be so much fun!"

Seating arrangement:

Back: Arlo and Thane (Oh my god... I feel sorry for Thane.)

Middle: Bryce and I

Front: Lena and Spencer

Anyway, back to Bryce and I.

"Are you nervous, Alexis?" Bryce was giddy. Pure giddy.

"Uh... a little bit."

"Me too!"

"...R-really?" You don't exactly radiate nervousness...

"Well, that's the point of this, right? Even though thrills are nerve-racking and uncomfortable, we still go through it all over again to experience the feeling over and over again. Pounding heartbeaks, trembling hands, the feeling of not knowing what's going to happen next... we just can't get enough of it. I guess that's why people fall in love."

I was unable to respond, that was just... kind of deep? Rather beautiful...

"Are you ready, Alexis?"

"...H-huh? For what?" FOR LOVE?

It was then that the ride came to a halt, and I realized what he actually meant.

"Hold on...!"

Thane's screaming was incredibly loud... I nearly died.

* * *

"Oh no! Thane's not waking up!" Arlo looked regretful. Do I even want to know what happened?

"Did he seriously faint? Lame." Spencer, folks! Always the most supportive guy you can ever have for a friend!

Bryce patted Arlo's shoulder, "It's okay, he should be just fine. Let's find a place for him to rest."

Arlo nodded, and the three of them wandered away (why were Spencer and Lena leaving?) to find a bench... somewhere.

He turned back to me, "...Are you okay, Alexis?"

"Me? Oh, I'm fine."

"My heart's still beating really fast."

"Really? You didn't look scared at all."

"Heh. I don't know why, but I just feel so happy right now. Ah~... That sure was fun, wasn't it?"

"Yeah... but, I was thinking. You know how you said that the roller coaster was like falling in love?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. What about it?"

"It's like when you first fall in love, which is symbolized by how you go up slowly... but then, when something terrible happens, which is when the ride crashes down at a great speed. Heartbreak fucking sucks ass."

Bryce blinked a few times, "...Uh, y-yeah. Heartbreak is pretty tragic... It's terrible that people have to go through such pain."

I laughed, and decided to take a page from Kat's book. "No pain, no gain, right?"

Bryce sighs, "...I'd never forgive myself if I caused the person I love such pain."

"...Nice to know." I skipped away before he was able to say anything.

* * *

"Yay~ Movie time!" Arlo skipped around the room.

"Sheesh... Are you going to get excited over every single thing?" Spencer grumbled.

I had placed myself next to Spencer this time. Bryce was on the other side of the room.

Arlo ignored Spencer's remark, "I want to sit in the front!"

"Anywhere's fine with me." Bryce grinned.

"Ah... well, I'll sit in the front too, if nobody minds."

Final seating arrangement:

Back row- Lena, Thane, Spencer

Front row- Arlo, Bryce, Me

Of course, Thane had to start complaining only when the movie started.

"Why am I the one who has to sit behind Bryce?"

"Oh... should we switch seats?"

"No, the movie's already started! You'll just have to fucking deal with it, Thane." Spencer grumped.

"I don't like this seaaaat!" Arlo complained in a whiny tone.

"What? Why? It's in the front, isn't it?" Bryce turned to look at Arlo, who was just whimpering all over the place.

"Holy shit! Shut up! I'm trying to watch the movie!"

"But this seat's too far from Alexis...!"

Thane continued his complaining, "You're too tall, Bryce. I can't see anything."

Bryce sighed, dejected. "Nobody's happy with me sitting here..."

I manage to work up the nerve to reach over and squeeze his arm, and whisper, "...Uhm... I don't mind..."

Bryce looked down at me, smiled, and grabbed my hand, making me squeak.

We managed to watch the rest of the movie without further interference, although I swear I could hear snickering coming from the back row.

Jerks!

* * *

When the movie was over, Bryce made me stay behind as the others exited the cinema.

"Wh-what's up, Bryce?"

"Oh, nothing. I just thought that maybe just the two of us could hang out... You don't mind, right?" As soon as the hidden (I hope) meaning behind those words, I grinned nice and big.

"Not at all! Sounds fun."

. . . .

Bryce sighs contentedly, "I just love the orange glow of a sunset."

Indeed, the sun had set while we were watching that movie. "Yeah... it's really pretty."

"The sun sure does know how to put on a show... He always makes a grand entrance and exit as vivid colors surround him in the sky at the beginning and end of each day..."

"That's an interesting thought, Bryce."

Bryce turned around to face me, a face of wonder, "...It's nice, isn't it?... Just the two of us spending time together..."

That whole atmosphere was ruined by Cashy, who came in and ran over his foot, and escaped like a boss. I then understood the urge to kill others.

"Oww!" Bryce whimpered.

"O-oh my god! Are you okay?!"

"Y-yeah... haha..." He let out a weak, pathetic laugh... it was slightly adorable, even if it's not in the nicest of situations.

"Man... Cashy really doesn't like you, does he?"

"I'm sure he didn't mean it. I was kind of standing in his way..."

I turn around to face the direction Cashy went, "...You think so? I was standing right next to you... I think he really does hate you..." I sigh, "But then again, he's... odd. He's always saying weird things, too."

Bryce was silent (is he staring at the back of my head? Is there something there?).

"...Look at me, Alexis." I turn back to him, question marks in my eyes.

"...What is it?" I was surprised when he suddenly bent forward, placing his hand on the side of my face as he leaned closely, but he just stopped moving when he was just a few inches away...!

"...Your face looks pretty in this light." I could feel my face blushing, so I tried to look away.

"O-oh..."

"Aw... Why are you looking away?" Is he teasing me?

"Um... I'm embarrassed..."

"Why?" OH MY GOD, IS HE ARLO NOW?

"...I-I... I'm just.. not used to the kind of things you say, I guess..." I force my eyes to look back at Bryce's eyes, which light up beautifully in this light as well...

"Sorry, I just can't help myself. You always speak so honestly to me in that voice... and the way you look at me with these eyes... It's like I can tell you everything. I'm not afraid of showing my entire being to you, Alexis." He grinned, "I hope that one day... you'll be able to trust me enough to show me your whole self too."

I tried looking at the ground, but he wouldn't let me turn my head down, so I settled for looking at the gate off to my left.

"...B-but... I'm really not that great..."

"Huh?" Bryce was caught off guard.

"I mean... Unlike you, I'm not that caring and kind... Isn't it just natural for me to be afraid to show my whole self to you?" I build up the courage to look back at Bryce. "... B-because... what if... what if you don't like... everything about me?"

"...But... I do like everything about you."

"Don't say that. You can't say that. You don't know everything about me..."

Bryce frowned, but then did a complete 180, and gave me a nice little smile. "I like you, Alexis. I'm every bit as flawed as you are, but I still believe that you'll accept me for who I really am... I just want you to trust me too. I like you because you're Alexis, and that's all there is to it, really. Don't ever feel like you should change for me, or anyone else. You're fine just the way you are... but to me, you're perfect."

By now, I'm sure my entire body was the shade of rusty red, and I wasn't really able to say anything.

Bryce must have noticed, because he actually _smirked_, and crashed our lips together.

I guess there goes my actual first kiss...

* * *

A week went by, and Bryce and I spent a lot of time together (though sometimes Lena would hang with us too), but then Spencer suddenly called for a meeting underneath the roller coaster. Oddly enough, he neglected to inform Arlo. Somehow, he had managed to solve the puzzle that we had received before we met Arlo.

_**When falling damp tree unveils ghost **_turned into _**giving up all self worth means the end. **_

"...Wow. It was something as simple as this." Spencer huffed. I hate to admit this, but that is rather big talk, coming from somebody that took nine whole days to figure this 'simple thing' out. Then again, I didn't help at all. Nobody did. He did it by himself... so, I guess congratz.

Thane sighed, "So it was an anagram... but what does it mean?"

Spencer turned around to face the dome, looking over his writings. "...If I'm right, the numbers all represent our values and dignity. The more selfless we become, the lower our number gets, and vice versa."

Bryce (the not-so-little cutie) still managed to get confused... somehow. "...What?"

Spencer turned around just to glower at him, "Don't 'What?' me! You're into psychology! You should know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"O-oh! You're talking about giving value vs. taking value, right? Giving value makes other people feel better about themselves; giving compliments, gifts, and being friends are an example of such." Suddenly, Bryce took on a more serious tone, "On the other hand, a person with low self-esteem may try to take value from others to make themselves feel better instead. In short: bullying... but in this situation, we don't have much of a choice but to take value sometimes. As you are surely implying, I think that when we take value, we drain it directly from the one who gives it to us?"

Spencer is stunned into silence by Bryce's brilliance. "...Y-yeah."

Bryce frowned, and patted my head. "That explains why Alexis's number got so low that one time: she bought everyone lunch, and even tried to convince us that she was fine."

"Are you absolutely sure about this? What if everything's just a coincidence?" Seriously? Give it up, Thane! He's right!

"...All this time, I've been trying to figure out the basic concept of our numbers. I was certain that it was interactions that affected them, I just didn't know how. It might have taken me a while to clear everything up, but it was because I wanted to make sure I had everything straightened out. I'm positive now though, I tested it out on you guys. Whenever I did something for the sake of somebody else, my number lowered... and it would increase when somebody made me feel better about myself."

"He's right, y'know. I've noticed the pattern too." I stare at my feet, rather uncomfortable with this topic.

"Okay... so, how do we raise out numbers without taking value from others?" Bryce fidgeted. I guess he picked up on my increasing anxiety.

"I don't think that's possible. I think that the values are like energy and matter; they can't be destroyed, nor created. They just keep being exchanged amongst us. I've done the math multiple times, and our numbers always add up to 100 exactly. If I'm correct... one of us could be stuck in this place forever."

Everyone grew silent... but it was I who broke it with my knife this time. "I think I know what you mean, Spencer. If all but one of us has our values drop down to 0 and leave, there will still be one person let with the 100... and nobody for them to exchange values with. I wonder what would happen after that..."

"...Well... we either get to 'leave' and go back home... or..." I trail off as Bryce covers my mouth with his hand.

"Y-you don't need to say it. We... we know what you mean."

"...Yeah. It's similar to death in the normal world, nobody knows what happens to a person that dies, but nobody wants to test it themselves..." Thane sighs.

It was then that I remembered the one person who wasn't with us, since he hadn't interrupted anybody with an innocent question.

Apparently, Bryce had the same realization I did, "...What about Arlo? If our five numbers always add up to 100... then does he just not give or take value?"

Spencer narrowed his eyes, "...You know, my number has never changed after I've interacted with him."

"Mine either... Not to mention the fact that Arlo hasn't charged his phone in 10 days! There is no way his phone could still be alive, and he hasn't tried looking for it all!" I pause, "...Should I... just say it...?"

Everyone got silent.. but then, suddenly, something bizarre went down! The entire park turned opposite darks, and objects became see-through!

"Eep!" I squeak, and Bryce brings me closer to him.

"What's going on!?"

Thane grunts, "This just has to be Arlo's doing...! I don't know how he can possibly be doing this, but this has to stop!"

Spencer nods, "There are five of us. If we all spread out and search different areas of the park, we should be able to pin him down easily!"

Everyone nods in agreement, and I part ways with Bryce to go search for Arlo.

* * *

I have searched _**EVERYWHERE**_! Where has Arlo possibly gone!? Does he have the ability to teleport, or something?

...Wait. The numbers that are falling all over... none of them are coming from the entrance anymore? But... they were just a second ago when I was over there...

I ran over to the front entrance, having a good hunch as to why that is... and of course, I find...

"Arlo!" Arlo whirled around to see me, and I could tell he was shaken. I jogged up to him, almost out of breath from how much running I've done. "...I-It's... really you, right?"

He just stood there for a bit, not moving or talking (and I think he wasn't breathing either? Oh my god! Is he dead on his feet?!).

"U-uh... Arlo?" I wave my hand in front of his face, snapping him out of whatever kind of daze can make you stop breathing.

"...O-oh, I'm sorry Alexis... I'm... really sorry about all this."

"What's wrong? What's going on?"

"Well... my heart is just a tad unstable at the moment. B-but don't worry! I just have to give it some time to heal. You're safe here, Alexis. I won't let anything happen to you, you're my first, and my best, friend..." He paused, "...I.. was kind of hoping that you guys would never have to find out... but... I don't know. I don't know what I should do, Alexis. You tell me, what should I do?"

"You should tell us the truth. That would be a good start."

"...You're right. That's... the right thing to do, right?"

"Yep."

* * *

Having to tell the others about where we were was not even a needed action, since everyone just eventually wandered over to where we are. Getting things started was another thing, though. Nobody was able to say anything for the longest time ever!

Finally, I decide to be the one to solve everything, "So, Arlo. What exactly do these numbers mean?"

He gave us a sad smile, "...They're happy points. You give them to someone when you make them happy, and you get points when you are made happy by someone else. Some people give more than they take..." He gestures towards me, "...others take more than they give..." He looked in Thane's direction. Ouch, burn. "However, I think that the best relationships are when people both give and take. I wanted to be sure that you guys would all get along... so that's why I assigned you guys those numbers."

Thane took a step forward, "...What are you?"

"I'm a hamadryad." A what? I'm not into mythology... I better just be quiet.

Lena was amazed (Gasp?!), "A real one?"

Bryce was kind of psyched too, "So you're really aren't like us after all..."

"S-sorry guys... it's all my fault..." Arlo sniffed, "...that you guys are all stuck here... This is my 'home'. I based it off the real amusement park... but I was lonely. I wanted to have a real friend..." He sniffed again, "Th-thank you guys... this has been the most fun I've ever had. I-I...I..." Arlo burst into tears, "I-I love you guys! B-but now, you all h-hate me, because I lied. I'm a liar! All the f-fun we had together made me really happy... but it was all built on th-the lies I told. I-I'm terrible! Horrible, even!" By now, he was just blubbering all over the place.

I know this is probably the worst timing I could ever have... but seriously!

THIS IS JUST TOO ADORABLE!

LOOK AT HIM!

LOOK AT THAT LITTLE BABBY FACE!

EPITOME OF CUTENESS!

(Cough)... You didn't see anything.

"I-Its okay, Arlo... We-I don't hate you... and I'm sure the others don't either... Right?" I turn back to the others, hoping for support. There is none.

No support! Not even from my darling not-so-little Bryce!

SHAME!

"...Guys..." I whimpered, hoping that would get me results.

Spencer speaks up first, "I am pissed."

"S-Spencer!"

"No, let me finish! I'm pissed! We're been trapped here for, what? Two weeks?" He grumbles, getting even more heated up, but then he just kind of collapsed (verbally), "...But...Arlo, if you had just explained to us that you wanted to be friends with us, I would have stayed. This whole ordeal is pretty shitty... but I would have willingly stayed. You didn't really need to resort to a giant glass dome and crazy numbers. Real friends can trust each other."

"I-I'm sorry... you're right, Spencer."

Thane gave a deeper sigh than usual, "But... real friends also forgive each other."

Bryce grinned, "Yep~ Be more honest with us, and we should have no problems in the future."

"Well, now everything has all been dealt with."

Arlo grinned, and tears streaming down his face. "Th-Thank you..."

There was a flash of bright white light, and then everything returned to normal (or, at least, the park turned back to it's correct colors).

"It's alright now. When your happy points drop to 0, all of you will go home... So... you can leave if you want."

"W-wait. Won't somebody be left behind with all 100?" That IS a good worry to have, Spencer...

"Oh, don't worry. I'll send the person left behind back home, safe and sound!"

"Heh... all 100 happy points, huh? That person sure would feel special!" Bryce grinned at Arlo, who managed to give him a weak copy.

"You're right, but there's an even better side to the happy point system! Even when you give away your happy points, you'll still feel happy!" Arlo sighed, "Again, sorry. If you guy will ever come visit me ever again, I promise I won't use the happy points system anymore. It's just that I was afraid that nobody would try and get along if I didn't use it, but I realize that's wrong now. Incentives weren't needed after all."

He looks towards me, and practically jumps me, planting a rather big kiss right on my cheek. Bryce grabbed my arm, and pulled me into his arms.

"A-Arlo! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Thane smacked Arlo upside the head. Yay! +5 friendship points for Thane!

Arlo stuck his tongue out at Thane (and Bryce, I guess), "Alexis gets a special thank you kiss! She's the one who found me, in the midst of all my chaos, and even helped me choose my next course of action! (Pause)...But then again, you guys cheered me up too, so maybe I should give all of you a thank you kiss!" Arlo only made one step towards the group, but Spencer sped away like Arlo was a cop, and Spencer was number 1 on the FBI's most wanted list.

"DON'T YOU EVEN COME NEAR ME!"

Next was Thane, who took off half as fast. "You don't understand our culture at all...!"

After that was Bryce, who managed to sneak away by himself. "U-um, I'll, uh, pass..."

WHAT? DID HE JUST- HE TOTALLY JUST LEFT ME HERE.

I WILL EXACT MY REVENGE!

I made sure to pinpoint the location where he ran off to, and took off after him.

* * *

I found Bryce in front of the cinema, just... staring at the cinema. The hell? Maybe he's just reflecting on his actions...

I tried to sneak up on him, but then I stepped on this random branch that somehow appeared in the middle of this PARALLEL UNIVERSE OF A MAN MADE AMUSEMENT PARK.

Bryce stared at me, eyes wide, before he managed to finally squeak out a few words. "H-hi..."

Putting aside the fact that he basically left me in the dust, I was rather curious... "What'cha doing here?"

He pulls out his cell phone (OH MY GOD IT HAS A SAKI BACKGROUND... C-CUTE...), "Well, I _was_ about to leave, but..."

My eyes widened, his number had dwindled down to 1 without me noticing? "Y-your number..." Then I really realized what he meant, "...You were going to leave without even saying goodbye?!"

"W-well... I usually get upset whenever I say goodbye to others... especially when it's likely I'll never see them ever again..."

"...What the hell are you talking about?"

Bryce frowned, looking dejected, "Once people return to their everyday lives after something happens, time and distance just separate them from those who were involved, doesn't it? I mean, people can always exchange phone numbers and e-mails... but it's really hard to maintain relationships with those you never see." He took in a deep breath, and let out an equally big sigh, "...This was bound to happen though, and I knew it. After all... we can't all stay here forever... we all have a life to return to."

I wasn't able to say anything; I was just standing there, on the verge of tears-oh, they're already falling. Fucking shit.

Bryce didn't seem to notice, though. "I'm going to miss you, Alexis."

"...M-me too."

"Mind if I stay with you?"

"...Huh?" I sniffed, and that's when it seemed to dawn on him that, yes, I am indeed bawling my eyes out right here, right now.

"I'm okay with... not going back to my everyday life I had before. I'll transfer to a new school, move to Central Cigam even... I'll do literally anything to be with you. I just... want my new everyday to have you in it." He paused, staring at me, "...Am I... not good enough...?"

I wiped my eyes off, "Fucking hell! Why in the god damn world would you think, after ALL THIS TIME, that I don't want to be with you too?! Seriously! You have no idea what you do to me sometimes, I SWEAR...!"

I trail off, settling for grumbling about life instead. Bryce starts to chuckle, regaining my attention (and potential anger).

"...You know, I've always been skeptical about what people call 'true love'... but I think I've found it with you..." JESUS CHRIST, THAT IS SO SWEET...! (;n;) I AM DYING FROM ALL THIS SUGAR THAT'S JUST LYING AROUND.

"...I have to give something to lose my last happy point, don't I?" Bryce leans over, and whispers into my hair (what? Why my hair?), "Alexis, you're the most amazing, wonderful, and beautiful person in the world. Don't ever forget that, okay? I'll be waiting for you... in reality."

In a flash of white light, Bryce was gone.

* * *

Nobody would come near me for the rest of the day, but then the next morning... everyone left me, giving me their last happy points.

Soon, it was just me and Arlo.

I didn't even need to wander around to find him in this almost empty park, there was only one part of the park that was lit up; the carousel. It still wasn't running, but it was still beautiful.

I approached Arlo, who swung around to face me with his arms wide open.

"Congratulations, Alexis!"

"...What?"

"You have all 100 happy points! You deserve them, too. You deserve every happy point in existence! For once in your life, you let others make you happy, instead of fussing over them... but now, it's finally time for you to go home." He paused, looking at the ground with a look of bitterness. "...Parting doesn't feel so good, does it? I don't want to part with all of you... but I know that we'll be able to meet again... so I guess I'll just say 'see you later', Alexis. You can always come back here anytime you want, okay?"

"I'll make sure to visit you, Arlo. I'll even bring the others, how 'bout that? We'll all have loads of fun..."

"...Hehe! I look forward to that... Well, it's time for you to go. Goodbye, Alexis."

_Goodbye, Arlo._

* * *

When I came to, it was already morning, even though it was clearly evening back in the other world. I guess time moves differently? Anyway, there was nobody in sight... I guess they've closed for the day.

I know who's definitely going to be here, though.

* * *

I ran at full speed, going as fast as my legs could take me that short distance to the cinema. Just like I expected, Bryce was standing right there. I managed to stop myself just in time (with a little help from Bryce, though). We stood there, just staring at each other.

I finally manage to grin, "...Bryce."

"...I missed you, Alexis." He pulls me in for an awesome reunion hug.

I curl my fist into his sweater vest, trying to make sure this is not a dream. "...This is... all real now, right?"

"Well, the time we spent together in the other world was real too... but this is just the beginning to the rest of my new everyday life... with you." Bryce stops, and ends up laughing, "...Now that I really think about it... being trapped in a glass dome, and those numbers dictating our life... it was really bizarre, wasn't it? But, I'm sure I could tell a great 'how I met your mother' story from this."

My face turned a nice pinkish hue, "H-huh?!"

Bryce looked at me, and then seemed to realize what he just said, because now _his_ face was pink too! He let go of me, and took a step back, "D-did I really just say that? I-I'm sorry! I...! Aaahh!...Excuse me, I need to go find a hole to crawl into..." He turned around, and crouched into a ball, gripping his hair like he was going to tear it out.

I took several long, deep breaths before I spoke. "I-I'm... sure it'll make a great story too."

He stopped all movement, but slowly turned around, his eyes glittering like a little puppy (;n; STOP BEING SO ADORABLE!), "...Alexis... Come closer."

He wrapped one arm around my waist, and used the other to hold one of my hands, making it look like we're going to do the waltz or something.

"From now on, let's stay together... just like this."

I laugh, "Of course, you big idiot!"

All of a sudden, I could hear the oh so wonderful custom made ringtone Kat made for when she's calling me.

_answer Answer ANSWER ME GOD DAMNIT I'M GOING TO BREAK INTO YOUR HOUSE AND KILL EVERYONE-_

Shit.

* * *

Three days later (after I finally got off Kat-grounding), the two of us were back at Pactheland. Actually, Kat's here too... somewhere. She insisted on coming with, but I haven't seen her anywhere since we got here. Oh well, not my problem. She can just deal.

Anyway, Bryce and I were standing by the arcade, basking in the sunlight.

Bryce lets out a nice big sigh, "Ahh... I love days like this." He turns to me, "Are you hungry? Should we go get something to eat?"

"Sure, it's almost lunchtime."

Who do I see coming from behind the back alley of the arcade...?!

CASHY.

"B-Bryce, look out!"

Bryce flinches, "C-Cashy...!"

Surprisingly, Cashy just stands there motionless. Maybe it's a different model, and they just all happen to look the same with that creepy smile?

"...Y-you... you're not going to run over my foot?" Bryce sounds extremely glad and hopeful... I hope Cashy doesn't dash those adorable dreams.

"What?... Ohhh, you're Sweater Vest! So, you finally got rid of that lame piece of shit, huh?"

"L-lame...?" Aww.. you hurt his feelings, Cashy! I thought his sweater vest was cute. Anyway, I'm going to ask a more important question.

"How are you even here? Weren't you trapped in the other world like the rest of us?"

Cashy lets out an electrical laugh, "Baby, nothing can ever contain something as hot as me."

"So many unexplained mysteries..." I think Bryce and I let our guard down a little too much...

"Well, since Sweater Vest actually looks like a normal guy now, I won't cock block him anymore."

"W-WHAT?" Bryce was obviously mortified beyond belief.

"...Wait, wait. You two mofos are on a date, right? Here, let me help a brother out." Cashy made some weird noise, and then money just came pouring out of his mouth. "Here, use this moolah to have a fun time, if you know what I mean! Good luck! Tally ho!"

"H-HUH?!" With that, Cashy made his exit back into the alley... but it was short lived, since I definitely heard Kat's voice screaming at it, and a bunch of metallic thunks.

"...I have never been so embarrassed in my entire life..." Bryce groaned, putting his face in his hands. "...Uh, this date isn't completely ruined yet, is it?"

"...Well, we could use this money to buy lunch. I think Kat just used up all her energy 'fixing' Cashy."

"...I was hoping you'd say that. Let's go grab her and get out of here before somebody finds out."


	5. Author's Note

**To those concerned- I'm not stopping this series of oneshots, I'm just waiting for spring break. It actually can take me up to a week straight to write a single chapter, and I sometimes stay up all night. I have to write Lena, Arlo, and the epilogue (which nobody has voted for... *sniff*.), so it will take me a bit of time, and I have shitloads of school projects and shit, with my ACTs coming up next month.**

**Maybe I'll be able to finish this by the 7th of April, which is my birthday! That'd be great, I'd finally be able to stop my guilt-tripping mind from bothering me.**

**Now, I must continue to chug this two liter of mountain dew.**

**Thanks for being patient!**


	6. Lena

**HELLO MY SUBJECTS. THE DAY I'M UPLOADING THIS IS MY BIRTHDAY. 17 NOW. IT'S LIKE, 3:30AM.**

**NEEDLESS TO SAY, AFTER ALMOST TWO DAYS OF NO SLEEP, I'M PRETTY FUCKING TIRED.**

**I'M NOT QUITE IN THE MOOD ATM FOR SPELLING CORRECTIONS, SO I'M GOING TO LEAVE THEM UNTIL LIKE, MONDAY OR SOMETHING.**

**ALSO, NO ITMOA UPDATE BECAUSE I'LL EITHER BE HIBERNATING, OR STUFFING MY FACE WITH DELICIOUS CAKE.**

**(Warning!: If you don't like girl/girl THIS IS NOT FOR YOU. JUST GO AWAY AND DRINK APPLE JUICE, OR SOMETHING.)**

* * *

...12? This fucking sucks. It doesn't add up to 4 or 7! Damn, it's so typical of life to screw me over, even when I don't even know what's going on.

"...Huh. Your number's much lower than mine." The sudden voice scares the shit outta me, and I involuntarily punch the invader of my space.

"...Ow. Geez, chill out." I look up, and narrow my eyes at him.

This rude guy has the same color hair as I do, he even wear's glasses like me (but mine are way cooler than this nerd's)! Damn guy is a full head taller than me. His eyes are a pretty cyan, but that's not enough to excuse his behavior!

"What's your name?" _You asshat_, I add mentally.

"Thane." Wow, asshole name for a jerkass guy.

I point to myself, "Kat. You stuck here too?"

"Yeah."

"Well, this fucking sucks. What should we do now?"

"Why, you tired?"

"Yeah, I'm so tired I could sleep in this fountain. I'm going to go to the café and eat all the cake they have. You wanna come?" I don't like this guy, but christ, I do NOT want to be in this park all by myself. Danger could come at me at any time, and I'm not exactly the strongest person alive.

"No, I have something I need to do. There's an angry guy running around the park, and we should probably try to stay in a group. See you later." He turned and jogged away.

I am determined to not get along with him.

. . . . . .

As I walk towards the café, I tried to access the internet through my phone, since I tend to read various fanfictions when I walk around aimlessly, but there is NO CONNECTION.

GOD DAMNIT, WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO FOR ENTERTAINMENT?!

I kicked the door to the café open, and was startled by the presence of people inside it. They both jumped when they heard me bust the door open. The one closer to the door was a guy. He had dark brown hair, green eyes (ooh, just like Jay!), a nerdy sweater, and he was... _**EXTREMELY **_taller than me.

Oh...O-oh dear...

I wasn't able to take my eyes off of him; tall people tend to make me nervous. Nervous enough that I actually act like a civil human being so that they won't hurt me. That's (sadly, the real reason) why I have short friends, but even then, that's not exactly the deciding factor.

Anyway..

Scary Tall Guy grinned brightly at me, "Hi! My name is Bryce, what's yours?"

AW, FUCK. HE'S FRIENDLY?! THAT'S EVEN WORSE.

"...K-Kat." I wanted to scratch all over my face, his stare was making me uncomfortable.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Kat. Are you stuck here in our company as well?"

"...Oh, uh, y-yeah. I am, I guess. I just got here."

"Bummer, huh?"

"You're damn right it is. I was going to go home and nap!" Civil... it's such a loose term, isn't it?

Bryce was shocked (at my sudden burst of vulgarity, I guess), "...U-uh, that's too bad. I'm glad you arrived, though. The more the merrier."

Not like I wanted to. It was fate fucking me over, as per usual.

It was about then that I turned my attention to the other person inside the café, and I nearly yelped. Not only was it a girl(!), but she had light blonde hair, blue eyes, and was pale as shit (;n;). Her clothes were almost all pink, except for a light blue vest thingy, but still...

SO.

INCREDIBLY.

CUTE.

LOOK AT THAT HAT. THAT IS A CUTE LITTLE FLUFFY HAT.

"...Who's that?" I point at her, getting tired of talking to Bryce.

"I have no idea." THANKS FOR THE HELP, BRYCE. SHIT LOAD OF GOOD THAT DOES ME. "She's been here ever since I got here a few hours ago, and she won't talk to me. I hope I didn't do something to offend her..."

And she avoids the Tall one too?! Perfect! "Maybe she'll talk to me, we do look similar, so maybe..."

I drifted away from Bryce, and over to the girl. After a tiny bit of hovering, I decide to sit in the seat cross from her in the booth she was seated in.

"Oh, uh, hi. I'm Kat, and I just wanted to know what your name is, and if maybe we could be friends?" Was that too awkward? Should I have been more confident, or would that have been worse?

So many options, so many thoughts...

I shake my head, and notice that she's staring at me, and that she hasn't answered either of my two questions.

"...Uh..." Was all I could utter. I'm not very good at voicing things when somebody is _staring at me _for prolonged periods of time.

After several more agonizing minutes of silence, she tugged her hat down, and finally said something(!), "...Lena."

"...What?" This is just an excuse, really. I just want to hear her speak again.

"My name."

"Oh! That's a pretty name. Reminds me of Reina, which is also a pretty name..." We stop speaking, and I just stare at her as she looks out the window. I guess she was done talking. What a shame. Now my only option is to return back to Bryce... joy.

"Wow! You got her to talk to you! She wouldn't even speak to me." Bryce looked sad. I wanted grin, but that's not very _civil_, is it?

...Actually, I grinned anyway. Fuck civility.

Bryce stretched, his arms reaching super high up (oh my god I would need a chair just to barely reach his hand). "Man, today's been such a long day. I'm going to sleep super well tonight!"

"Mmm. I'm pretty sleepy, so I can concurr. Even then.. how can you be so positive? This whole thing sucks ass."

Again, Bryce was shocked, "...Well, uh, actually, I _was_ freaking out earlier, but that was when I thought I was all alone. Now, I know I'm not, so I can relax. The three of us, we'll surely get through this together, right?"

"...Uh, yeah." God, his friendliness is starting to freak me out.

Thankfully, I was saved by a mysteriously angry voice.

"LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!" It sounds like the voice of my people! At last, somebody agreeable! Wonderful!

"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LISTEN TO ME?!" ...And Thane. Less wonderful. Wait, didn't he say something earlier about some guy?

...Mmm. I don't remember. Wonderful nonetheless.

"BECAUSE I HATE YOU! I DON'T NEED YOUR DAMN HELP!" _**CRASH**_! They burst into the café, with the mysterious angry stranger in the front, and Thane coming from the rear.

This suave individual had nice caramel hair, anger filled gray eyes (nice color, are those contacts?), and a rEALLY NICE GREEN JACKET. I myself am wearing the light beige jacket my grandma bought me for Christmas, it's pretty rad. I'm also wearing the baggy blue shorts I usually wear in the summer, and my black, skull-filled t-shirt that may or may not actually be mine. I would have worn my cool cat hat with green fluff on the ears that my dad bought me from a con in Indianaopolis, but it was way too hot. That's a shame, because I like squeezing the little green fluffs on the end of it; it squeaks!

Anyway, dirtbag Thane stops squabling with the angry guy with the nice jacket to talk to me. "Oh, Kat."

"Mm. What's going on?"

"Well, I was just chasing this idiot." He gestured towards angry guy. How insulting! I find this stranger to be interesting, at the very least.

"What was that, shit face?!" See? Very classy! I wonder if he'd be willing to agree to role play with Mel and I...?

...Mel! That damn guy! He's the whole reason I'm here! Why couldn't he just keep track of his own damn wallet?! That's why I don't have one! I already lose things easily, I don't need a device designed to keep everything together, just so I can lose it and be fucked forever.

...Jade was right, I need to stop going off on these tangents.

I come back into the conversation, Bryce is the one talking at the moment.

". . .Let's just introduce ourselves, okay? Name listing, go!"

"Thane." Thane adjusted his glasses. I wanted to punch him, stop mishandling your glasses! They'll get all fudged up by your finger prints...

I noticed that everyone was looking at me. SHIT, I must do as the taller ones say, or else they'll all gang up on me, and kill me in the back alley...! "O-oh, uh, Kat!"

"...Lena." Somehow, Lena had managed to make her way up beside me (but yet behind me at the same time), and was staring at the floor, her hat covering her face. The others looked surprised; had they not noticed her sitting there before? Fools!

Angry guy finally introduced himself (still looking slightly pissed at Thane), "Spencer!"

Lastly, Bryce: "Bob!"

I couldn't help but laugh. I like random puns, or witty lines that take me by surprise. Even so, I still hit him.

"You're name is Bryce!"

Now Bryce started laughing, and I internally cringed at how loud it was. I hate loud voices, despite having one myself. I try to tone it down a few notches, but then nobody ever hears me! Sheesh, you just can't please people these days.

. . .

The guys were discussing the text message we had all received. Not me, I hate group participation talks. Nobody ever listens to what I say in them anyway. (-_-;)

". . .so, all of our phones display these weird numbers instead of the time?" Thane sighed, looking at him phone. He had a weird Alix the Cat picture for his background. Mine is way better, it has the most glorious goddess: Gumi.

Bryce listed off our numbers, since Lena and I had given him our phones. "Thane's number is 29, Kat's is... 12," Why the hell did he pause? Is there something wrong with my phone? "Spencer's is 22, Lena's is 20, and mine is 17." After that, he gave me back my phone in a hurry. What's his problem?

"I wonder why my number's the highest..." Thane sighed. I want to STRANGLE him! YOUR NUMBER IS THE GOD DAMN HIGHEST, YOU HAVE THE SMALLEST CHANCE OF DROPPING TO ZERO. WHY DOES IT SOUND LIKE YOU'RE COMPLAINING?! FUCK YOU!

I narrowed my eyes in distaste at him, "Well, it's better than having the lowest."

"...I suppose you're right. You have to be extra careful, Kat." My eye twitched. Damn it, I hate it when people I don't like call me Kat, but I hate being called Kathryn even more! I just can't win today!

Spencer yawned (even his yawn is angry-ish), "God damn, why am I so fucking tired? It's not even dark out!"

"Yeah, I know that feeling. I'm pretty damn tired myself." Spencer and I shared a look of understanding. Friendship!

"Are you two serious? I've been working the entire day, and I still have plenty of energy."

"Wow, so you **are** a robot..." I mutter underneath my breath. I think I heard Lena giggle, which is CUTE! Spencer snickered too, so at least he has a healthy sense of humor.

Then, Spencer swore, "Shit, hold on. My phone's dying."

He turned, and plugged his phone into the café's plug-in thingy. His phone's pretty shade of blue matches my shorts. Rad! He was tapping his foot impatiently as he waited. Hm, we share a lot in common. We could probably be good friends.

Bryce hummed, "Well, I feel just fine~?"

Big surprise, the freakishly tall guy who is also incredibly friendly doesn't feel tired. It must be his alien blood!

"...Hey, guys. I just noticed something." We turn to Spencer, "All of our numbers... they add up to 100."

I'm curious; why did he think to add them up? Oh well... it's pretty clever.

Thane was not so impressed. "Well, you're right, but does that mean anything?"

"Of course it does! It has to!" Aw, he's even insecure! I wanna be friends with that guy (+-+)!

"You can't just assume things like that." Thane sighed. Wow, killjoy much?

"Why not? Sometimes you just have to take a chance." I nodded my head to myself, this was surely a good statement. I didn't even mess up my delivery!

"See? Kat agrees! It has to mean something if two of us think the same thing!"

"Will you two shut up?!" I was going to start a brawl (or, at the very least, throw a single punch and run away), but Bryce stepped in, and I instantly backed off in fear.

"Hey, why don't we just all calm down? We'll go find a place to rest for the night, and pick up back on this some other time when we're all well rested."

Spencer snorted, and leaned against the wall (wow, it's the image of the shoujo manga rebel! Classy.), "Sleep? Why the hell would I go to sleep right now? It's still light outside!"

"...But, didn't you just say you were tired?" Bryce was confused, but I understood. Sometimes, I forget what I'm saying in the middle of a conversation too, and I won't remember for long periods of time, but I remember it when I'm already at home, and then I just sit there, wondering what to do about it.

Spencer was now experiencing one of those moments, "...I... did..."

His phone beeped (wow, so other people don't have asshole friends that set scary shit as their ringtone? Lucky!), indicating that it was now fully charged. Spencer stood there, staring at the floor, and then his eyes widened, and he picked up his phone in a flash.

"OH!"

Thane is a wizard, because he knew what Spencer's cryptic one word statement meant. "For real?! Really?!"

"That's too freaky!" I **HATE** being in the dark in a conversation!

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO TALKING ABOUT?! PLEASE SPEAK NORMAL FUCKING ENGLISH!" I grab my hair, and tug it in frustration. Instead of answering my question, Spencer held his hand out to me.

"Hey, gimme your phone."

"Fuck no." I say that, but I hand it over anyway. I've always had the tendency to loan my phone out easily as long as it's in my sight.

Anyway, he took my phone, stared at it a little (what is so wrong with my phone?), and then switched it for his phone. We have the same charger, apparently. That's pretty rad. It's like the friendship gods are trying to make us become the best of friends. The kind of friends that only the best of people can become... and I'm clearly the best of the best, so I am best friend material. It's better if everyone can just hurry up and recognize my greatness. I am not the 'Prince' for nothing, after all!

". . .Kat?" I come back, and notice everyone staring at me.

"What. What happened?"

"...Well, putting your day dreaming aside, how do you feel?"

"What do you mean? Like, heat? It's pretty damn hot out... I wish I had just stayed home. The heat makes me sleepy, but it's really nice 'cuz my body temperature is always lower than other people's. But, now that I think about it, I don't feel all that tired anymore. Is that what you wanted, Spencer?" Spencer blinked.

"Oh...Well, yeah, I guess. You seriously don't feel tired anymore?"

"Nope, I'm... wide ..." I can't help but start erupting into small giggles. I just love lacing song lyrics into my everday speaking. In general, I just enjoy puns, be they musical or not. Alexis and Jade don't quite share my love for musical puns (mostly Alexis, who flips her shit if I do it repeatedly). 'Tis a pity.

Thane stared at me, eyebrow raised in curiosity, "...Okay, so now we know that our energy directly correlates to our phone battery."

"That's handy. Wish I hadn't made my friend hold my phone charger for me." I sighed, "I would have kept it if I'd known this was going to happen."

"Well, that's okay, Kat. I didn't bring mine either." Bryce patted my shoulder. I really wanted to smack that hand away. I HATE physical contact... from guys, anyway.

"You two are in luck, they sell cell phone chargers in the cinema. I saw them there when I tried to steal some popcorn, but the doors kept me locked in until I payed for the popcorn, so you might want to make sure that you have the right amount of money."

"This shit sucks!" I groan, "This is so typical. The _**ONE**_ day my friends manage to drag me out of the house this summer, and I get trapped in an amusement park. When I get back, I'm going to get my revenge...!" I trail off, noticing that I accidently said that out loud.

"...Kat, could you possibly have been in the arcade earlier today?" Thane stared at me, a weird look in his eye.

"Eh?... Yeah, I was in there." Before I got dragged out by my killjoy friends!

"Were you the one who was shoving other people out of the way so you could play arcade games, and even used another human as a shield?" Spencer laughed at Thane's assumption, which was not incorrect.

"Yup. Those fuckers were taking too long, and I was just giving them a little motivation to learn how to play faster. Mel's my general, so it's all good. Being my meat shield is his unofficial job."

"Oh? Who's Mel, Kat? Your boyfriend?" Bryce grinned. Is that what he thinks? Do girlfriends usually use their boyfriends as a human punching bag?

"What? Fuck no, Mel's not only my surrogate little brother, but he's dating my sister's best friend. Jay would have my head!" I groan, and rub my forehead. "Oh geez, just thinking about it is giving me a headache. I'm out of here, I'll be... somewhere. Bye."

. . . .

A few days later, I had basically barricaded myself inside of the arcade. I managed to jam the door shut by pushing a few arcade games in front of it. It was hard work, since I'm not strong, and they were _bolted to the floor_. You really don't want to know how I managed to get it undone. Anyway, I was just passing my time by playing various arcade games. I already had a bunch of tickets from when I had played at the arcade in the beginning, but there was really nothing else to do. The hard life of an antisocial survivor knows no bounds.

My stomach grumbled, and I smacked the game I was playing. I'm REALLY hungry, but I don't want to go out. Luckily, playing these games doesn't seem to be taking away any of my phone battery, which is great, since I still haven't bought a new charger. This was starting to get unbearable.

I grabbed the prizes of my choice; 2 game player thingys, and a plushie of some sort. I don't know exactly why I wanted the plushie, since it was kind of creepy; but I always like getting new plushies. After that, I make a small crack in the door, just big enough for me to squeeze through. I sneak over to the cinema first, to grab a stupid charger, and then to the café to eat all their god damned cake. I swear, I will scream if they have NO chocolate cake.

When I get there, I see Lena sitting inside the booth she was in when I first came into the café. Too bad I didn't see her BEFORE I went in, so the stupid bell chimed when I entered, alerting her to the prescence of somebody else. Lena's body tensed up, and she looked over to see me, who was just awkwardly sticking to the wall, slowly inching towards the counter.

"...What are you doing?" What? Did she just talk to me? Of her own accord? Without any prodding?

"Er, I was... going to eat cake." I pulled out a few boxes of cake, and put my cash down on the counter, turning back to Lena. I seat myself in the seat across from her, and set the cake boxes on the table. "Want some?"

I slide a box of funnel cake over to her (for some reason, it was just lying there with the boxes of chocolate cake), "Here, eat this cake."

Lena blinked, and for a moment I was worried that I was too insistent, but then she picked up one of the plastic forks, and took a bite out of the funnel cake. "...Um, thank you... Funnel cake is my favorite... but this is too much for me to eat by myself... can you help me?"

My god, as much as I absolutely HATE any kind of cake that is not chocolate, I cannot just say no to that face. I'm way too soft when it comes to girls... er, certain girls.

"Sure, no problem." I reach over and snag a bunch of her cake with my fork, stuffing it into my mouth. It... wasn't that bad, actually. Chocolate cake is still better, but... yeah, I could use to like this. "Mmm, not bad."

I lick my lips, and then turn my attention back to my exquisite chocolate cake. I eat three of those, and it's just pure heaven. Chocolate cake... It's just. So. Good!

When I finally finish, I lean back against the seat, and place my hands on the back of my neck to cool my body temperature down. It's also a nervous habit of mine to put them there. It's just plain comforting, okay?

Anyway, I look up, and see Lena staring at me, seemingly in awe (I hope?).

"...What's up?" As much as I like seeing her eyes, I still don't like being stared at. She blinked, and backed up against the back of the seat.

"O-oh! I-I was just thinking about how I wish they sold my favorite soda here, because I like to dip the pizza crust in it..."

I sat there, and imagined what pizza crust would taste like in Sprite. "...I can imagine that being kind of tasty, actually. Maybe then I'd actually eat pizza crust..."

Lena smiled (!), "Most people don't think it sounds tasty, but they just have to try it."

"Maybe they just don't like things that aren't within their already established comfort zone. I know I don't... I despise talking to taller people." I realize how bad that could sound, so I backtrack, "...Don't tell the others, alright? It's a secret. Uh, here, have some more cake. Bye!"

I shove another box of cake at her and jump out the open window. If only they didn't have a bush right there. Damn it! Not the cool exit I was hoping for.

I can feel Lena's eyes on me as I stagger away towards the restrooms. I really hope they have showers there... maybe a bandaid. A bandaid would be great right now.

. . . .

I silently curse my luck yet again as I walk into the restroom area. Standing right in front of the _**girls**_ restroom is Bryce, Spencer, and Thane. They all turn to see me as I walk in, even though I was using my sneakiest walk! Geez, are they blood hounds?!

Spencer's the only one to speak, which is fine with me, since he's the only one I can relate to. . "What the hell happened to you?"

"Fell into a bush. It fucking sucked. I could use a bandaid. What about you guys? What're you up to?"

"Oh, you know. Just staring at a pile of broken shit." Spencer kicked a broken thingy I hadn't noticed before. It kind of resembled that weird plushie I got from the arcade.

"It's not 'broken shit'. It's some kind of machine." Thane huffed.

"Doesn't change the fact that it's broke as hell, does it? Let's not waste our time on this shit."

Spencer threw up his arms, "Finally, somebody REASONABLE! Two to one, Thane you lose! Let's all fucking leave."

Spencer and I were going to get out of here, but noooo! Thane had to bitch. "But what if this thing has something to do with our numbers?!"

Spencer scoffed, "The fucking toilets could have something to do with our numbers for all we know. I don't know about you, but I'm NOT going to look in toilets just because of a hunch that they MIGHT have something to do with our numbers."

I snickered quietly/loudly. Bitch got told.

Thane started pinching the bridge of his nose, "Robots have **data**. Data has **information**. Information is **IMPORTANT**. Maybe we'll end up having wasted our time, but how will we know if we don't try?!"

Bryce, whom I had completely forgotten about due to his quietness (and my inner focus to block him out), suddenly raised his hands in a calming gesture (that induced me to fear). "I think we should fix it, since we don't really have any solid plan on escaping at the moment. What do you think?"

Feeling some not-so-subtle pressure to agree with Bryce, I had to cave. "...I guess."

Spencer, although more grumbly than me, also agreed. Thane leaned down, and gently looked through the broken chamber of the machine, careful not to mess with any wires. After a few minutes, he stood back up, and spoke in a very professional voice that made me want to strangle him with my bare hands until the last sparks of his breath bled out of his mouth, and then I'd just throw him in the bathrooms to hide his body. I doubt the others would appreciate me doing this, though, so for now imagining it will just have to do.

Back to douchebag Thane: "This looks like it'll be an easy fix, but there are some parts missing."

"Why should we even bother trying then?" Spencer groaned, "It's not like the missing parts will be _lying around_, waiting for us to find them."

Thane huffed, "We won't _know_ unless we actually _look_."

I gave Thane a short side-glance. I must admit, his serious determination to get this shitty machine up and running was quite admirable. "...I suppose it couldn't hurt."

I swear, if this all turns out to be for fucking nothing, I'm going to increase my hatred tenfold. On the offhand that this actually works, maybe I'll bump him up to acquaintance status. I could probably use a few more friends... I really only have like, six or seven, and only one is male. No matter how much Ron insists that we're only on acquaintance status, I know that we're actually on the best-friendship status.

Speaking of possible acquaintance status, here's more Bryce. "Has anyone seen Lena?"

"Yeah, I just saw her minutes ago. We were eating cake together in the café." I pointed into the general direction of the café.

"O-oh..." Bryce frowned, looking like a kicked small animal/child. If he was a girl I might have cared, but he's not, so I don't.

Spencer told it like it is, "She probably just doesn't like you, Bryce."

I saw the metaphoracle anvil crash upon Bryce's skull, but ignored his feelings for the sake of my own sick justice. "That's okay, I'll find her, since she's not afraid of conversing with me."

Another anvil crashed upon Bryce before we all split up to go our different ways. When I reached the front of the Alix the Cat giftshop, my phone freaked the fuck out of me when the shrill horror scream sounded out through the air, alerting me of a new message.

After clamping my left hand, which is abnormally colder than my right, on the back of my neck and calming down for a few minutes, I took my phone out of my pocket, and tapped the message icon without looking at my phone. I really wish I hadn't, though, because it had an incredibly ominous message.

_**When falling damp tree unveils ghost.**_

...Well, whatever. I can just bring this up when we meet back at the bathrooms later. Right now, I have to look for shitty machine parts, and Lena.

. . . .

Of course, the first place for me to look would be the café, correct? So I slowly made my way towards my destination, passing through the merry-go-round, when I smashed my poor little toes into a heavy piece of shitty metal. I look down at the offending object with a scowl on my face. It'd be just my luck if this piece of shit was actually one of the machine parts that we so _desperately_ needed. Right now, I really just wanted nothing more than to melt this toe-stubbing object into scrap metal, but like I said, it'd be just my luck if I were to actually do that, and then it turned out that it was actually part of the broken machine that Thane insists we fix.

Picking that up (dear god it's heavy), I continued on my way towards the café, grumbling about my poor luck. Of fucking course, grumbling does you nothing in life, because I managed to trip over some heavy object, and smashed my face into one of the many tables that littered the outdoor part of the café. Looking back at the stupid thing, I noticed that it was yet another one of these stupid fucking machine parts. Not only that, but my glasses were now totalled; apparently, glasses break easily once it is smashed against wood. It's times like these that contacts would be pretty handy, but I have a serious issue with putting my finger anywhere near my eye, so that's out of the question.

No need to fear, though! Before we had gone swimming earlier, Jay had given me her glasses, which are the same prescription as mine, so that she could swim without worrying about them. I'm kind of no good at swimming whatsoever, so I just stayed in the shade. I don't trust non-private pools/non-waterparks. Jay should probably be okay though, she doesn't have any issues with wearing contacts, that fearless fucker. I mean, christ, the girl is wearing a scarf in the SUMMER!

Whatever, back to things that are actually important, like Lena! After slipping on Jay's black glasses, I peeked inside of the café. No Lena in sight. Damn it! I could've forced asked her to locate machine parts with me. Ah well, you win some, you lose some. In my case, I lose a lot. Luck just doesn't like me.

Trying to think of where a little, shy teenage girl would go, I took out my mini-map thing I had gotten the second I stepped inside the amusement park. Apparently the enormous signs announcing where everything was just wasn't enough, they also had to force a map into your hands (almost like every Pokémon game in existence). After a long, heated debate with myself, I decided to go check out the rides. I don't know, children like rides, right?

. . . .

The ferris wheel revealed nothing, which is just what I'd expect from the second most dangerous death trap I've ever seen. The thing is GIGANTIC! My anxiety is going off the charts just from looking at it. Shush Kat, just don't look at it and keep moving... left, right, left, right. Good.

After that disaster, I ended up at the roller coaster, which is my WORST FEAR, where I could see Lena just hanging around. Weird place to hang around, but meh, who am I to judge? If it were up to me, this place would be called Pokéland instead of Pactheland. Eevees and Skitties would roam everywhere, directing all of the rides and shit, instead of boring ass people. Cute Pokégal cosplayers would be everywhere, and there'd be puns galore! (Sigh) That is but a distant, unobtainable dream though. Quite sad.

My deep sigh full of broken dreams seemed to have caught Lena's attention, because she turned around, and was just watching me as I imagined the little Eevees and Skitties running away... But I'm not obsessed. I'm not. No matter what the others say, I am a **perfectl**y normal being!

I blinked a few times, readjusting myself back to normal. Sometimes my vision will just go blurry because I'm not focusing at all. It can be a pain. Anyway, "...Oh, uh, hey."

Wow, I'm the smoothest motherfucker there ever wasn't.

Lena shuffled her feet a little, before glancing up at me. "...Hi."

I sat on the back seat of the roller coaster (very cautiously, mind you. I don't want to accidently trigger it to blast off at the speed of light.), carefully setting my machine parts on the little space between the seat and the back part of the coaster.

Time to act casual. "Mind if I hang out with you?"

She shook her head rapidly, "No, not at all."

"Good." I wasn't going to leave either way, to be honest. Now, I have to sound super natural so that my underhanded motives aren't revealed (which, at this point in my life, I have clearly mastered). "You know, the others were worried about how you went off from the group. I mean, I don't blame you for wanting some time to yourself. Thinking to calm yourself down is good for situations like this, but sometimes it just doesn't work. Sometimes, you just have to be with other people to make yourself feel better, y'know?"

"...Well, I don't mind being around _you_..." Lena tugged her hat, with it slightly covering her eyes, "It's just..."

"Just...?" I gently prodded, despite my curiosity.

"...I... can't look at tall people." She looked up at me, like she expected me to be insulted or something. I may have like, an inch or two on her, but that's no big deal. "...I get nervous and lose my ability to speak whenever I see somebody looking down at me... So I wear this hat to block the view of the world above me."

"...Ah. Is that all?" I raised an eyebrow. She looked surprised at my statement, but I continued without stopping. "If it makes you feel better, I'm scared of tall people too. They make me nervous as fuck, but that's just a primal instinct of submitting to those who are bigger and stronger than you are, so it's not really something to fear. Yeah, seeing somebody tower over you in incredibly nerve-wracking, because you can't help but think that they're all out to get you, but that never actually happens, so there's not really anything to fear. In my group of friends, I'm actually considered quite tall, despite being barely 5'4", but I can't imagine what the world must look like to Bryce." Christ, he's a walking skyscraper!

"...Bryce... he is a bit too tall for comfort. But then again, I suppose I'm just really short... even for a girl. Most people tower over me easily. "

"You're not that short. I have three friends that are practically the same height as you... And you have to look slightly up to talk to me, you know that, right? Not that I want you to suddenly stop talking to me, but... if you can stand a few inches, a foot or so shouldn't be much of a challenge. We could work on it if you want to. Not being able to talk to anyone because of fear is lonely."

"...I suppose you're right. I'm... weird, aren't I?"

"Nah, girl. These kinds of worries are incredibly normal. Then again, weirdness is only defined differently by different people. Some people might find cannibalism to be just an everyday occurrence, while others find it the bane of humanity, and think that those who practice it should be burned at the stake, like in those witch trials." I'm highly aware that my examples aren't really the best, but it's all I've got. These are the more... appropriate ones. Don't wanna scare off my new little pal. "...Anyway, why'd you come to an amusement park, anyway? It's really obvious that there would be a bunch of people here, each varying in height."

"W-well... I came here hoping that I could overcome my fear... I thought that if I went on the tallest roller coaster," Lena gestured to the roller coaster I was currently sitting on, "or saw the view from the top of the ferris wheel, I might feel taller, and not be afraid of the faces looking down at me."

"Well, it makes a world of difference that you've even made the attempt to overcome your fear. I, on the other hand, have done shit nothing to defeat any of my twelve phobias." I give Lena an awkward smile (awkward only because I'm not good at smiling). "I'm certain that you'll be able to move forward one day. If anything, 'ya got the princely me on your side."

She just stood there, staring at me blankly, and I vaguely registered that normal people don't call themselves a royal figure of the opposite gender, but can you really blame me? Princesses are annoying bitches. Just look at that daughter of evil, or the one singing about chihuahuas. They're incredibly annoying; just thinking about it gives me a headache.

Lena's quiet voice brings me back to attention, "...Hey, Kat?"

"Hm?" I answer, as I struggle to get out of the seat. Sitting inside the cart with my feet sticking over the ledge wasn't a bright idea after all, given my past struggles with doing this exact task.

"...Um," She tugged her hat on tighter, "...Thanks... for listening, I mean..."

"Anytime. Now, here's the actual problem: I'm stuck. Can you help me~?" I reach out both of my arms, wiggling my fingers for emphasis. After a few moments of hesitation, Lena yanks both my arms forward, nearly pulling them out of the sockets. Her surprising strength and my lack of strength led me to almost crash right into her, knocking us to the ground. Luckily, my princely charms helped me stop at the last second.

Brushing off the dirt and dust that surely was inside of that blasted device of death and destruction, I picked up the machine parts off of the back seat. After almost dropping everything from the sudden gain in weight, it ocurred to me that there was now another part amongst my small pile that used to only consist of two parts, but was now three. Well, that's convenient.

Taking hold of Lena's arm, I led her away from the death contraption, informing her of what we were currently looking for (shitty machine parts), and that the two of us should definitely stick together for safety. She just quietly accepted it, and the two of us made our way to the front entrance of the park.

. . .

At the moment, the two of us were looking around in front of the cinema. After not being able to find it in plain sight, we decided to crawl around and see if we could find a machine part lying around. We had been looking in silence for at least a half hour, and I made a mental note that if we didn't find one in the next ten minutes, we were going to move on to another place. I was trying my hardest to stay focused, but I couldn't help but find my eyes continually traveling back towards the big, pink hat that sat upon Lena's head. It was pretty neat, despite being a little too girly for my tastes. She looked up at me, having obviously noticed me staring holes into the top of her head. Hope I hadn't made her nervous.

"...What is it?" Lena whispered.

"Your hat," I point at it, "it looks neat."

"O-oh, really? It's my favorite hat."

"Mmmmhm..." I stare at it a little more, and then submit to my inner instincts, snatching it off her head, and putting it smugly on mine. Lena freezes, staring at me, shocked. I then submit to my bad habit of petting heads, and reach over to viciously ruffle her fluffy hair. How do people get their hair this fluffy!? Special shampoo, or what?

"...A-ah! My hat..." Lena tried to snatch it back, not bothering to fix her hair. She looked rather adorable, almost like a little chick. Snickering at the mental image, I dodged all of her attempts to retrieve her hat, and simultaneously smashed the heel of my left foot into a metal object; yet another machine part. Fuck all these parts! What did I ever do to them?!

I rub my foot, whimpering to make it sound like I might cry. I say "might" because even if I feel like I will, I never do. Jade likes to call them crocodile tears. After several moments of doing that, I recomposed myself, and picked up the stupid, offending piece of shit machine. I swear Lena was trying to muffle her laughter from behind me.

. . .

The two of us stare at the peculiar sight that is way above us. Right now, we're standing in front of the arcade, looking at a machine part that is not only way out of our reach, but it is apparently _lodged in the fucking wall_. How the HELL did it get there?

"It's really in there, huh?" I sighed. It was starting to look like I might have to go get one of the other guys to come help.

"Yeah... everyone is really tall, aren't they?" I assume she's referring to the fact that it was within the reach of any one of the three boys, but too far for us.

"...Unfortunately, it's actually more likely that we're just short." I let out a rather large breath through my teeth, with my tongue sticking between my upper and lower teeth. I really did not want to have to go track down one of the guys, but there was no way I was going to exert the physical energy to break my way back into the arcade, grab a stool, drag it out here, and then stand on it and pry the part out of the wall! Too much effort. "How are we going to get it down on our own...?"

Lena looked me up and down, and smiled slightly. "Well, if one of us lifts the other, we should be able to reach it easily."

That doesn't sound so good to me. I don't think Lena'd be able to lift me, and I certainly cannot lift anyone above the age of seven. "...That's going to be difficult. Plus, you're wearing a skirt. Are you sure you want to do that?"

Lena gave me a weird stare, and gestured towards my awesome shorts."You're not wearing a skirt."

Without even waiting for a response, she picked me up by my legs, and held me straight up, though I struggled to stay up straight by flailing my arms. Now, I was at eye-level with the weirdly placed part, and I grabbed onto it for dear life. It wasn't hard to realize that if I pulled it out, that would result in my body jerking backwards, because it would react from the sudden loss of force being exerted. Damn you physics! Despite that, I **had** to do it, because I doubt Lena can hold me up for long.

With a few excruciating pulls, it came free, and, just as predicted, I fell backwards. Luckily, I managed to not crack my skull against the pavement. Instead, I only painfully fell on my back, but I _did_ manage to smack the part against my forehead. Lady Luck truly seems to hate me, but then again, that's not exactly a new fact in my life.

After gathering up the machine parts, we made our way over to the front entrance, where we could see Bryce "searching" through the fountain (actually, it looked more like he was playing around in it. What the hell?), so we just quietly sneaked past him, heading for the pool house instead.

Well, there wasn't any looking required, because the last part was just sticking out of the ground, which is pretty abnormal. How did all these parts end up like this...? Ah well, not my problem. I grabbed it, since Lena was already holding three of the parts so that neither of us would die from the sheer weight of the machine's parts. The two of us slowly made our way back to the bathrooms, with some slight chatter as we went. Mostly about Lena, since I was practically forcing her to converse with me.

"...Ah. I just realized something." Lena blinked, "I won't have time to finish my summer homework in time for school..."

I laugh, ruffling her hair with a spare hand. "Of all the things you could possibly worry about, you think about homework? That's pretty interesting, Lena."

She smiled slightly, "...I suppose it's rather funny. Why should I be worrying about that in a time like this? I guess I haven't completely lost my touch with my ordinary life..."

"That's pleasant. I keep waking up at what I assume is five o'clock, like I normally do on any other day. Old habits die hard, I suppose."

"Um, do you think we'll be stuck here forever...?" I smack her lightly on the shoulder.

"Don't say that, you might jinx us."

"O-oh, sorry..."

. . .

Spencer was leaning against the girl's bathroom like some kind of badass (again, typical rebel in shoujo manga). It didn't really look like he had moved much, so I doubt he had found anything. Thane was also standing around, empty handed. That makes me rather pissed off, since he was the one that wanted to do this machine part shit in the first place; yet I, who didn't even WANT to participate in this in the first, found seemingly all the parts (with help from Lena, of course). Bryce's shirt gave away how much he was fooling around, since it was soaked thoroughly by the water from the fountain. All I could do was stare at them blankly as Lena and I approached them with our machine parts.

Spencer stopped leaning against the wall, and walked a little closer to the group. "Did we get everything?"

...Did he just say "we", as in everyone? He clearly didn't do shit. In fact, NONE OF THE BOYS DID SHIT! I mean, I assume Thane at least _tried_ searching, but Bryce clearly did fucking nothing (see: HIM PLAYING IN THE GOD DAMN FOUNTAIN). My eye was twitching quite a bit, but it didn't seem like anyone was noticing, or they just ignored it.

Instead of making any kind of snarky remark about how Spencer didn't do anything (which would have had no complaints from me), Thane adjusted his glasses. "Well, we're still missing a few screws, but we'll probably be able to make do without them. They're pretty nonimportant."

"Hm? How do you know?" I raise an eyebrow at that statement. Thane may look like a nerd, but he looks like more of a gamer nerd, seeing as how he's wearing the uniform from the arcade. Not that I'm one to talk, miss "Prince of Otomes and Pokémon".

"Well, I'm in the robotics club at home, so..." Thane shrugged. Ah, those hard-working clubs. Alexis is in our robotics club back at school. Me? Nah, I'm not into clubs. I'd be in the anime club if it'd ever open, though.

Bryce seemed to have finally noticed Lena, who was standing slightly behind me, still hatless (I refused to give it back), and therefore staring at the ground. "Oh, you found Lena?"

"Hm? Ah, yeah. We went around and found some of the parts together. Lena's cool." I shifted all the parts into my right arm, using my left hand to ruffle Lena's fluffy hair again. I engaged Bryce in a staredown as I continued to mess up her hair, since he was looking like he wanted to say something, but screw that. He was ultimately what forced me to search for these blasted parts, so I will exact my vengence! The Prince will have her revenge! MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Thane could apparently sense the subtly tense atmosphere, because he pulled out his phone, momentarily distracting my one-track mind. "...Anyway, did anyone else get another one of these weird texts?"

Setting the parts down on the ground next to the shitty machine of misfortune, I fumbled with my phone to access the mysterious text that I had received from earlier.

"Uh, did yours say anything about falling trees and a ghosty ghost?"

Seeing that his obvious diversion tactic had actually worked, Thane smirked. "Maybe it's a bad case of auto correct?"

Spencer contributed too, using the opportunity to insult Thane. "Don't be a dumbass. It's obviously a puzzle sent to us by whoever the hell sent the first text, seeing as we're incapable of receiving messages. It'll probably give us the key to escaping this place."

"Then are we supposed to read it a certain way?"

"Did you not hear what I just said? I said. . ." I had the foresight to know that they were going to start making crude guesses about what the message could possibly mean, so I tuned them out (which was rather easy, given that I wasn't all that interested in them in the first place). Instead, I turned my attention to my much more interesting companion, Lena.

"What do you think?" She jumped a little, seemingly surprised that somebody had spoken to her, but calmed down when she saw that it was just me.

"...I was... just thinking that if we were birds, we could just fly out of this prison..."

"Well, as nice as having wings sound, I'm pretty sure that this dome goes all the way around, with the top of it sealed. It's not like there aren't any plants around here to provide us with oxygen. Not only that, but I don't exactly... like birds..." I shuddered at the mere thought of being one of _those_ creatures. Those beady eyes, creepy feet, and the _**diseases**_...! Unless it's Hatoful Boyfriend, I want _no_ part of any of those damn birds!

"...I see." With the end of that little chat, the guys seemed to have stopped speaking nonsense, and were looking at us expectantly.

"...What?"

Thane sighed, "I said to hand over the machine parts so that I can fix it. Now, if you two are done chatting, we can actually progress."

I scowled at him as Lena handed over her half of the machine parts. I was having a nice talk with my new pal, and they just HAD to ruin it! I grumbled angrily to myself as we waited for stupid Thane to do his stupid mechanics.

After about a half hour, he stood back up, oil all over his fingers. Just looking at the little (now upright) machine made me hungry. It looked kind of like a mini-snack machine on wheels, but with those little phone plug-in spots instead of the glass case where you can view the snacks. It didn't look quite as creepy now, since all the wires and shit were back inside the machine, but its souless eyes were a little unnerving.

"That should do it." Thane wiped his hands off onto his pants. We waited for a few pointless moments, but nothing happened.

"This thing is busted. No worries, the prince has the perfect solution." Without waiting for any reply from the others, I swiftly kicked the machine as hard as I could. As unbelievable as it may be, I'm actually really good at kicking something if I want to. It smashed into the weird penny machine that stood in front of the girl's bathroom, and started emitting this weird noise.

"...Great job, Kat! You broke it even more." Spencer groaned, shaking his head. Just then, the machine elicited a white light, and it's cold, dead eyes turned a bright white. The gears whirled inside of the machine, and the machine came to life, spinning around in a circle.

"Oh! You did it, Thane!" Bryce clapped his hands excitedly, completely ignoring the fact that it was _me_ that got it working with my genius.

"Howdy y'all, the name's Cashy." I snickered at Cashy's name, already being able to guess at what its purpose is.

"...Cute." Lena's face turned a light pink from the mere sight of Cashy. That's a little creepy, but then again, I find Moemon adorable as fuck, so I'm not quite one to talk.

"...So, what does this thing do?" Spencer raised an eyebrow at Cashy, who somehow managed to look angry.

"Thing?! I am not a 'thing'! I am a rockin' lady's robot! I get **all** the chicks, because I have tons of cash to spare!" Steam started coming out of Cashy's small crevices. "But to answer your question, I'm basically like an ATM. You plug your phone charger into me, and you get cash in exchange."

"Mmm. That's interesting." Cashy turned towards me with a grin.

"Why, thank 'ya Girly."

Thane rubbed his chin with his hand in a contemplating matter, "That's odd. I don't remember finding any money inside this thing... ah, maybe that's why there was a locked safe."

Cashy turned to him sharply, looking a little peeved off (is that possible for a robot?). "So YOU'RE the one that repaired me? I should sue you for sexual harassment!"

Thane took a step backwards in surprise, "...What?"

Cashy crept closer to him, "You didn't have my permission to feel up my private parts, now did you? Pervert!"

Bryce snickered, "Oh gosh, Thane, he's right!"

Grinning, I covered Lena's eyes, "Don't look, Lena, it's a hu~ge pervert!"

Red in the face, Thane put his face in his hands. "I-I don't even understand anymore..."

"As much as I enjoy Thane's embarrassment, let's pay attention to more important things." Spencer turned to Cashy, glaring, "What do you know about this hell hole, and our weird ass numbers?"

"If by numbers, you mean cash, then I know plenty! Money is everything-" I interrupted it by giving it a lighter kick.

"Stop fooling around and get your shit together." Cashy was quiet for a bit, but then let out some cheery tunes.

"Tally ho, mofos! I've got some... business to take care of." With that, Cashy wheeled away, running over Bryce's foot in the process. A part of me felt kind of bad for him, but it was overwhelmed by my amusement on how he was the only one hit.

"Oww!" Bryce whined, as he rubbed his foot in a similar fashion to the way I nursed my foot wound earlier, except he's way taller.

We all stood there in an uncomfortable silence, all creeped out by what just happened to us. We hadn't found out anything; Cashy turned out to be a huge shit lord, and I highly regretted having taken part in his fixing. Sighing, I crossed my arms, scowling. I was pretty annoyed by that thing. What if it creeped on us in our moments of weakness (i.e. when our phones are low on battery or something)?

"...Cute..." Lena smiled slightly. Spencer sighed, and ignored that statement. Was probably a smart move.

"We spent all that time finding the parts and fixing the damn thing, but we still end up knowing almost nothing about our situation." Again, he didn't do shit, but I'll let that slide for now. I will have my revenge later, when nobody is watching me.

"Putting that aside... I hope we can escape soon." Bryce's stomach grumbled, "I'm beginning to get really hungry."

Little noises of agreement rang out throughout the group, except for me, who was still kind of full from the cake I had eaten earlier, but you could never have too much cake. Never.

"Y´know, there's food at the café. I could go get some for us, and we could just eat it in the gift shop. It's nicer in there, and they have air conditioning." I shrug, and put Lena's hat back on her head, since I'd be temporarily gone, so she needed some type of comfort.

"Are you sure?" Thane sounded puzzled. I looked back over my shoulder as I walked away.

"Why the hell would I offer if I wasn't?" Turning back, I grinned evilly as I pulled Mel's wallet out of my short's one and only pocket. He deserved it, for getting me into this in the first place. Besides, I was just going to tell him it was stolen and keep the cash for myself anyway.

. . . .

I had purchased two boxes of pizza, a couple packages of hamburgers, a pack of ice-cream bars, and (of course) about a dozen cartons of cake, consisting of only chocolate and funnel cakes. I also got a few bottles of water, since this shit needs drinks to gulp down along with. I struggled to make my way out of the front door, since the boxes of pizza were slightly too big to fit, and I had balanced everything on top of those boxes, so I couldn't exactly turn it sideways to fit through.

Right as I finally managed to escape the café's death trap, my phone let out that shrill scream again, almost making me drop all my precious cargo. Gently setting it down on a nearby table, I pull my cell phone out, automatically clicking my message icon without looking. There was no message, but it was nice enough to inform me that my number had now dropped down to 4. Awesome! Four's my favorite number! On the down side, I doubt the others would find this half as great as I do, so perhaps it's best that I don't inform them of this. I slip my phone back into my pocket, and look back up, only to get the second biggest shock of the day.

A few meters away, standing still with a large grin on his face, was a guy that looked only slightly older than me. He had flaming red hair, red eyes, and a sweet black, sleeveless hoodie, along with a bright yellow t-shirt with a white collar. He was taller than Spencer and Thane, but slightly shorter than Bryce.

He jumped a little, "...A person!"

"...Uh." He skipped closer to me, only stopping a few inches away. His lack of personal space was unnerving. I may be one to invade other people's personal space, but I don't like it the other way around unless I say so. Nevertheless, I wasn't going to back away, because that might give him the satisfaction that he's successfully scared me.

The grin on his face was starting to make me angry, actually. "...Can I help you?"

"What's your name?"

"You should give your name first when asking for another person's name." I frown.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" He grinned, "I'm Arlo! Hello!"

"...Kat. My name's Kat." Arlo clapped his hands enthusiastically.

"Kat sounds like a great name! I like it~!" I cannot help but feel a corner of my mouth turn up slightly. His cheeriness may be annoying, but it's infectious. Besides, this boy obviously has good taste in names.

"Why, thank 'ya. So, when did you get here, Arlo?" Arlo suddenly looked slightly panicked, like he didn't have any real response. Whatever, not my business.

"Um, not too long ago, I think. This place is huge though, so I got lost the moment I got here!"

"Ah, so you're trapped here like the rest of us, huh?"

Arlo looked shocked, "There...There are other people here?!"

"Well, yeah. My food load makes that pretty damn obvious. You should come eat lunch with us, they're all pretty decent people (I guess)."

He let out a large breath of relief, placing his hand over his heart. "Aw man, I was freaking out because I couldn't find anyone anywhere! I thought that I was going to be stuck here all by myself...!"

I felt sorry for this guy. He's incredibly childish, only got here a few hours ago, and thought he was all alone because he couldn't find anybody! He's like a little lost puppy, for god's sake!

I came back to reality when Arlo took another little step forward, and took my hands in his, his eyes sparkling. "Hey, Kat?"

"...Yes?"

"Will you be my friend?"

A bunch of weird scenarios that were not going to happen ran through my head, all from the sheer panic and anxiety that ran through my blood. This complete stranger, who was too friendly and invaded my personal space to the max, was asking me in a creepy manner if I would be his friend. What if this guy was the murderer?!

"...No, friendship is a process that happens normally over time, so I cannot just agree to be your friend on our first meeting. Sorry dude."

"...Oh..." Arlo looked contemplative, "I never thought of that before... Friendship happens over time, not just instantly...?"

"Yep."

Arlo grinned, and gave me a hug (WHICH I FUCKING HATE). "I like you, Kat! You're super interesting~."

Struggling to escape, I started trying to hit him instead. "Let go of me! LET GO OF ME! I HATE HUGS! DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME!"

Arlo instantly let me go, allowing me the ability to fix my sweatshirt, which was slightly askew. "Well, thanks for letting me go, I guess. C'mon, let's go to the others. Struggling makes me hungry."

. . .

I had forced suggested that Arlo take most of the food load to make up for almost killing me (which was overdramatic, but whatever! I'll do what I want!), but I still carried all of the cake. I don't want anything happening to my cake.

I opened the door to the gift shop, because I'm curteous like that, and placed all the cake on the large table they had managed to get ready for lunch. I seperated the funnel cake from the chocolate cake, and took half of the chocolate cake for myself, settling down in a corner, slowly eating the cake with my hands as I stare at the others.

"...Kat, did you only bring cake?" Spencer was giving me an owlish stare, as if trying to decide whether I am mentally unstable or not.

I licked my lips free of the delicious chocolate frosting before speaking, "No, but I wish I did. Arlo should've been right behind me..."

Before anyone could ask who I was even talking about, the door opens, and in walks the heavily loaded Arlo, who struggles to make his way to the table. Once he finally makes it, he sets it down with a loud _**plop**_. After that, he just stands there, grinning at everyone.

"So... who's your new friend, Kat?" Bryce raised an eyebrow at Arlo. I stood up, wiping my chocolatey fingers off onto a napkin that came with the cake, walked over to Arlo, and smacked his back as hard as I could in a "friendly" manner.

"Guys, Arlo. Arlo, guys. Arlo just got here, so, yeah."

"Hello!" Arlo chirped.

Everyone introduced themselves (with a slight mishap from Bryce, who tried to trick Arlo into thinking his name was Bob), and we all settled down to eat. I sat near Lena, and snagged her hat again before chowing back down on my ever-so-delicious chocolate cake (but with a fork this time, at the insistence of Spencer). The order of our little circle/star was like this (starting from left to right): Me, Lena, Thane, Bryce, Arlo, and then Spencer, who was on my right.

Bryce tried to make simple small talk during lunch. "So, Arlo. Where are you from?"

This simple question made me realize that we hadn't really had a conversation about things outside of our current situation. This could be nice, as long as they don't ask anything about school life. A majority of my school's students are... not the straightest citizens. I'm sure that some of them could be great people, but I definitely ain't taking any chances to find out.

Back to Arlo. "I live here in East Cigam, actually."

"Oh? I live here too. Maybe we've passed by each other before..." Thane hummed as he chomped on a hamburger.

"I-I don't think so." Arlo's tone had a 'and that's final' tone to it, as he anxiously fiddled with his hoodie. He had insisted that he had eaten before coming here, so he wasn't hungry at the moment.

"Well, I'm from South Cigam." Spencer put in his two cents, moving the conversation along. He spared Bryce a quick glance, "...Let me guess, Sweater Vest is from West Cigam?"

"Wow! How'd you know, Spencer?" Bryce smiled, impressed

"...Lucky guess.". I didn't quite get it at first, but the instant Spencer responded, everything clicked, and I nearly choked on my cake from my sudden eruption of laughter. Spencer had to hit my back really hard to help me out, but I couldn't stop laughing.

"...Wait... You think I'm weird?!" Bryce whimpered, giving Spencer a pouty look that didn't really work for somebody of his height.

"'Weird things happen in West Cigam.'" Spencer disguised his statement between poorly faked coughs. By now, I was finally able to calm down a little, having progressed into only small fits of giggles. I turned to Lena, ruffling her hair a little bit to calm myself down. I like touching people's hair, it's oddly calming. However, I don't want people petting my head unless I say it's alright.

"Well, what about you, Lena?"

"...North Cigam." I hum, placing my elbow on her head, leaning slightly on her.

"I see. I've heard North Cigam is a nice place."

"Y-yeah, that's what everyone says..." Lena flinches, and sinks back into silence, silently eating some of the funnel cake I had acquired just for her.

I take another large chomp out of my third chocolate cake, "Well, that's cool. We're all from different parts of Cigam. Damn, this town is huge..."

"Wait, wait, wait. Kat." I look up, giving Thane my attention for the moment. "You didn't say where you were from."

"...I didn't? I could have sworn I did. Huh. Oh well, I'm from Central Cigam. Even if I didn't say it, it should have been pretty obvious, since it was the only one not stated."

"...You're seriously from Central Cigam?" Spencer looked at me with a small twinkle of curiosity.

"Yeah, why? You can't have the other directions unless you have a center, Spencer. Reference point, y'know?"

"I know that!" He snapped, but then softened up just a tad, "I was just... curious. I've never been to Central Cigam before. What's it like?"

Recalling all the various times the police have "patrolled" outside our highschool, and/or patrolled _inside_ the school, I let out a huff. "...Pretty normal, I guess?"

"...Oh, okay." Spencer and I conversed about various dumb things, while Thane was on the sidelines, trying to talk about something actually important with Arlo.

"So, Arlo... what's your number?"

Arlo was startled at the sudden change of topic, "H-huh?... You mean my phone number?"

"...No. I meant the number on your phone." My attention was now piqued, so I stopped listening to whatever Spencer was saying, and leaned onto the table, staring at Thane and Arlo as they talked back and forth. Arlo looked incredibly confused, so Thane elaborated. "All of our phones have a number instead of the time."

"Oh, uh, really? Hold on..." Arlo shuffled through his various pockets to locate his phone, but eventually he just straight up quit. "I can't find it. I must have lost it somewhere." He gave a nervous laugh.

Spencer stopped his pointless talking to stare wide-eyed at Arlo, alarmed. "What do you mean you **lost it**?!"

"It's okay, I lose things all the time! Things seem to have a knack for escaping me..." Arlo trailed off, noticing the looks he was getting from the others. I, on the other hand, was reminded about my same exact skill for losing shit, and looked through my pockets for my phone. "...What?"

Spencer started shaking him by the shoulder, "Oh my god... this is bad... this is _**so **_bad..."

Arlo only seemed to be vaguely fazed by this course of action from Spencer, "What's wrong?"

"You won't be able to charge your phone if you don't even have it!" Spencer smacked Arlo upside the head, just like he deserved. Not that I'm one to talk at the moment, seeing as I'm still searching for it (but not really; I'm actually watching the two of them. I hope a fight breaks out). Seeing the dumbstruck look on Arlo's face (god this guy's an IDIOT), Spencer continued with a deep sigh. "That's right, you're new to all this shit. Okay, to make a long story short, our energy is directly linked to how much battery life is left on our phones, and we have to keep charging them, or else we'll become exhausted, and we don't know what happens if your battery dies."

That seemed to get through Arlo's thick skull, "Wha-Really?!... Oh gosh, this is bad, isn't it?"

Thane tried to placate the situation from getting out of hand, "Calm down, you two. Arlo, we can simply just walk around the park until we find your phone..." He trailed off, seeing Arlo's head sink down in defeat. "...unless you left it on silent."

"...Arlo, really?" I let out a large breath through my teeth, annoyed at how stupid Arlo was turning out to be.

"...Yeah, it's on silent." He tried to crack a weak smile, but it wasn't very convincing, so he sighed instead. "B-but my phone has a pretty long battery life when it's not in use, even if it's on! Maybe we'll find it before it runs out?"

Finally, I had located my cell phone! I had, for some reason, placed it in one of my inside pockets of my sweatshirt. I pulled it out, and stared at the screen, only now registering the obvious strangeness of my phone. Instead of my gorgeous goddess that is Gumi, what was splayed across "my" phone was a picture of Yuri Lowell, from Tales of Vesperia, holding a puppy Repede in his shirt. This was obviously _**not**_ my phone, but I **did** know who's it was...

I swore under my breath, and smacked the phone against the table angrily. When had she switched phones with me? How didn't I even notice until now?! Somehow, in the midst of my own internal arguements, Spencer had glanced over at me to see what my sudden issue was, and caught a peek at the number on my phone.

Spencer's eyes widened, "Kat, what happened to your number?!"

I nearly smashed my head against the table. I didn't want them to know that my number had dropped, even if it WAS the radical number four!

"It dropped, obviously." I rolled my eyes and shrugged, trying to keep it casual.

"No, I meant how did that happen? When did it get so low?!" Spencer snapped at me.

"Wow, calm down sir. I don't know how the hell it happened, it just did about a half hour or so ago, I don't fucking know."

"So, then all of our numbers changed except for Spencer. Bryce's number was the only other one that dropped, but it was only by two." Thane sighed angrily. The hell is he angry about? This is MY problem, not his!

I felt a slight tug from my left, and turned to see Lena looking up at me with a puppy-eyed look. She didn't say anything, but I already felt super guilty just from looking at her.

"Uh... sorry. Don't get sad?" I frantically looked around, trying to distract myself. I do NOT handle these types of situations well.

"Well, you can't expect us to NOT get worried, Kat. Your number is dangerously close to zero!" Bryce huffed, crossing his arms in a pouty fashion.

"Calm your stupid ass, this isn't THAT big of a deal. It could be worse, and I could have already dropped to 1. 4 is a rather lucky number fo rme, so I doubt something bad will happen. Sheesh, you guys are too serious about this." I roll my eyes, and get back to eating my cake, "Y'know, I don't even know if anything would happen to me if it turns to zero. This isn't even my phone."

"What?" Thane's eyes widened, looking at the phone I had placed on the table.

I gestured towards the offensive background, "This isn't my phone, I don't have any images of Yuri, no matter HOW girly cute he looks. My sister, Jay, does though, so this is probably her phone. Dumbass must have taken mine on accident, since they both have identical thick phone covers."

"...Then, if this is her phone... why are _you_ here?" Arlo knitted his eyebrows. I shrugged in response, and took a drink of my water bottle.

"Fuck if I know. Let's stop talking about this heavy shit. We're in an amusement park for fucks sake, let's do amusement parky stuff."

Luckily, Arlo perked up at the mention of amusement parks (where did he think we were, prison?), and forced us to all go get ready to go swimming.

Arrrrrrgh!

. . . . .

Thane was standing in front of the pool house with his back towards me, staring at his cell phone. Perfect! I slowly, but quietly, made my way towards him, and then clamped my hands down on his shoulders screaming "BOO!" really loudly, and then running inside as fast as I could. I hope the dumbass learns not to scare girl's on the first meeting!

Given the fact that I hadn't gone swimming earlier, I, of course, didn't have a swimsuit on me! No need to worry though, because they sold swimsuits in the pool house, much to my dismay. I'd rather not drown today, but Arlo insisted that I participate, and wouldn't take no for a damn answer. Damn him. So, I begrudgingly purchased the only respectable swimsuit there; a dark green one-piece with disgusting pink hearts on it. I don't exactly care for the pattern, but it's better than the other, rather slutty, swimsuits they were selling.

Being super paranoid, I barricaded my skin in sun lotion. I may have only gotten one sunburn in my life, but it was NOT pleasant, so I'd rather be cautious than stupid. I especially paid attention to my cheeks, which are already red enough as it is. I stepped out into the pool area, and just stare at the others. Apparently I missed something huge, because Spencer and Thane are duking it out inside of the pool, and nobody even seems to care. Aw, I missed a good show!

I grab a black innertube, and sit on it as I spin around the pool, splashing like an idiot. Eventually my innertube crashes into the only other innertube in the pool, and I fall out. I frantically splash around, only until I realize that I can reach the bottom of the pool if I stand on my tippy toes. Well, that's embarrassing... wait, how did Jay nearly drown? We're the same height!

I look up to see that the inner tube I smashed into belonged to Lena, who was wearing a large sunhat. Speaking of Lena's hats, I had left her pink one in the changing room, since there wasn't any risk of theivery in this place. She looked at me blankly, as if she was wondering what she should do.

"...Are you okay?" Lena spoke quietly, so that only I could hear her.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine. Perfect, even."

"Then... are you having fun?"

"Nearly drowning? It's more fun then you might think, actually. Once you get used to the water filling your lungs, dragging you down to the bottom of the water source... Nah, I'm kidding. This is pretty neat." I sincerely hope that this pool is cleaner than the actual pool. "What about you?"

Lena blinked, confused. "Huh?"

"I was asking if you're having fun, deary. You don't seem to be all that enthusiastic about this whole ordeal, not that I can blame you, really. This whole thing is a pain in my ass-"

She cuts me off from my tirade, "...But... I really am having fun...Today's the perfect day to go swimming in the pool."

I stop speaking, and hum, looking up at the calm, blue sky. "Well, the weather has been flawless since we arrived. Kind of a pity, really, since I kind of enjoy the clouds...I wonder if it ever rains or snows here...?"

"That's kind of deep."

"What? Oh, sorry, I wasn't paying attention again, was I?"

Lena shook her head, "No, it's okay. I like listening to you... I mean, sometimes I find myself wondering 'What would Kat do/think in this situation?'"

Well, if I wasn't surprised before, I am now. "What? Really?" All those thoughts about what to do should involve either violence, or panic. If not, it's not me.

She looked slightly worried by my reaction, and almost floated right into the Saki statue that was, for some reason, planted right in the middle of the pool. "I-Is that strange?"

"Not by a long shot, kid. I was just wondering why you would POSSIBLY wonder what I would think or do, even if I _am_ the most princely, I'm not exactly the best with social situations."

"I admire the way you handle things, though. You're really confident, and brave... I'm neither."

"Well, you're pretty brave yourself, in a way. You're not all that worried about the situation, and can keep your focus."

"It's not the same though. Yours is the kind of brave that helps yourself find happiness..."

I sigh, "Not really, I mean, this 'braveness' has screwed me out of like, 5 friendships, 3 small-term crushes, and one 7-year long crush. My friends that I have now do't mind my quirks, but it still bites me in the ass every now and then. My luck is shitty as fuck. Seriously! Look at this, I am stuck in this shitty amusement park, that I didn't even want to come to in the first place, and I keep injuring myself. Arrrrrgh!"

I splash the water furiously in frustration, and only stop when I run out of energy, which is rather quickly. I'm not the athletic type... at all.

"...But, if you hadn't been stuck here..." Lena's quiet voice made me stop completely, and pay better attention, "we probably wouldn't have ever met..."

"...I suppose you're right. I'd rather be stuck here in this shitty amusement park with you, my new pal that 'ya are, than at home all by myself." Then, Arlo forces everyone to participate in a game of pool tag. Needless to say, I lost, and Arlo won.

. . .

After splitting up for the rest of the day, we all met back up the next day to go watch a movie. I never get to see movies in the theaters, so this is a pretty good thing.

"Move time~!" Arlo squealed as he jumped all over the front room of the cinema.

"Arlo! Knock it off!" Spencer scolded him, flexing his fist to show what might happen to Arlo if he doesn't cooperate. Nice.

I was at the snack counter, buying me some nice sugary snacks for the movie. Only for me. Nobody else. Fuck them. These are MINE!

As I was internally brooding over my snacks, Lena had quietly snuck up on me. I hadn't even noticed her until she started speaking.

"It's nice to come to the movies with other people... I don't like going alone, ever. Even if it's not a horror one. It's just... uncomfortable to see everybody else in a group, while you're all by yourself."

"Yeah, I don't get to see movies in the theaters much either. Who do you usually go with, if you don't mind me asking?" A boyfriend? Gosh, I hope not. Wait, wait, wait, Kat. Kat, shut up. That is not the thing to think about right now. Right now it's friendship time. It's always friendship time. THIS IS HOW YOU RUINED ALL YOUR CHILDHOOD FRIENDSHIPS!

It ocurred to me that she had already finished with her reply, so I had to go and be the stupid person, asking her to repeat what she said. Lena didn't seem to mind though, apparently already used to me drifting off into my own little world.

"I said I'd usually go with my small group of friends, but they're not really movie people."

"Oh? Well then, when we get back, we should exchange emails or some shit like that. I'm up for movies, and I'm pretty sure a few of my pals would tag along, if it's an actually decent movie. Hope you won't mind that Jay has a tendency to tear movies apart."

"...That sounds fun. I would not mind that." Lena smiled softly, and then Arlo called us to come join them for the movie. Damn Arlo.

. . .

I was _assigned_ to sit in the front, with Arlo on the far left, Bryce in the middle, and me on the far right, but I did NOT want to sit next to the two tallest people we had, so I forced kindly asked Thane to switch places with me. Luckily, he was eager to switch places, because he couldn't see anything from behind Bryce. I spent the entire movie playing solitaire on my phone, since it was a Xolga and Toko movie, which meant no romance (unless you're a fangirl... I'm totally not), so I wasn't interested.

Lena started watching me halfway through the movie. I guess she got bored with the movie itself, or gave up on trying to see from behind Arlo and Bryce. I would have played Tetris instead, but I'm trying to NOT get so angry that I interrupt the movie, and I surely would if I played it. It's a fairly stressful game, because you have to fit all the blocks together, and if you don't you LOSE. I don't like losing. At all.

When the movie was finally over, Arlo and Bryce were having a very animated discussion about it, but remained friendly. Spencer and Thane, on the other hand, seemed to be arguing about something. I doubt it actually had something to do with the movie; probably involved the stunt that happened at the pool that I missed. Again, what a pity. I had missed a good show.

The two of them actually started a nerd-war, and Spencer challenged Thane to a video game fight, to see who was better. That was totally logical, because it didn't depend on any real life physical attributes, only skills. That's why I prefer Pokemon games. Only the best fighters there (not counting the ready-made NPC trainers made for beating the living daylights out of for cash)!

They started trash talking once they were in the arcade. The rest of us had followed, wanting to see the good fight. I secretly hoped one of them was going to throw a punch in the middle of the fight.

"Ah~ It's another little fight for dominance. It's a common ocurrence between young teenage males." Bryce grinned, leaning against the prize counter.

"I get what your saying, but why are you not including yourself? Are you an old man, or something?"

"No, actually, Lena is the oldest of our little group." What. What? She's older than me? Didn't see that coming.

Speaking of Lena, it looked like she was trying to mosey in on the little nerd fight. I wanted to warn her that that was a dangerous move to make, but she had already tapped Spencer on the shoulder, asking if she could join their little game tourney.

"...Sure, Lena. Of course...?" Confusedly, they allowed Lena to join. They lined up at the three fighter games, and started playing furiously (only Spencer and Thane, that is. Lena was totally casual).

As they battled in a deathmatch of the century, Bryce and Arlo tried to make small talk with me.

"So, Kat. Who do you think is going to win?"

"I don't know... this bloodmatch is pretty intense."

Arlo smiled innocently, "I hope they all win."

"Stop being naive, you stupid ass. If they all win, then there's no loser. If there's no loser, then we won't get to see somebody get sad/angry that they lost. I want to see somebody lose!"

"...Well, as long as everyone's having fun." Bryce laughed, "...Maybe the three of us could have a special kind of fun."

"Wow, that sounds suspicious as fuck, but you got my interest. What'cha thinking?"

"Perhaps a bet?"

"Ooh! I want to bet!... Aw, but I don't have a lot of money on me.." Arlo pouted.

"That's okay, we could just bet with something else." Bryce looked at me. At this point, I was starting to get SUPER suspicious. This couldn't lead to anything good. "Like... maybe a kiss from little Kat?"

I growled, "Fuck no, I'll skin you first." The two of them slowly backed away from me, which is a smart move on their part.

"Calm down, I was kidding." Bryce laughed nervously. I let that roll around in my head for a little, and then shrugged.

"...Oh. Okay. Guess I just overthought things. Happens to the best of us (and I **am** the best), I suppose." I turned my attention back to the mini-tournament as it came to a close. Apparently, Lena kicked their fucking asses, because the two of them were slightly miffed, but if one of the two of them had one, the other one would be seriously pissed.

They weren't angry at Lena though, of course. I'd kill them by my left shoe if they were.

"You're... really good, Lena." Thane smiled.

"Yeah." Was it reasonable of me to take this as Lena liking video games? I'm not sure, but I'll go for it anyway. I pull the forgotten video game player thing out of my pocket, and put it into Lena's hand.

"It's a prize for winning... plus, I don't need it."

"Oh... thanks...?"

"Good. Now, I'm out of here. I need naps ASAP."

. . . . .

The day after that whole fiasco, Arlo forced us to ride the ferris wheel.

My second greatest fear.

Fuck.

Just staring up at the tall... and I mean REALLY tall ferris wheel, was making me incredibly nervous. I had to anxiously rub the back of my neck to make myself calm down. Arlo, on the other hand, was super mister sunshine.

"Riding with all six of us in one cabin will be trouble, so we'll have to split up into smaller groups." Thane sighed, slightly pale. Does he share the same

"I want to ride the ferris wheel with Kat!" He clapped his hands childishly. I'm starting to wonder if there's something seriously wrong with this boy.

"Knock it off, Arlo. I'm serious, let her choose her own path." Yay! +50 friendship points for Spencer!

"Well, I'll go with Spencer." Bryce put his hand down on Spencer's shoulder. When did they become best buddies?Ah well. They boarded into a red cabin, leaving only us four left.

"I guess I'll go with Arlo, then..." Thane sighed, and dragged a whining Arlo into a bright yellow cabin. I hate yellow.

Well, that only left Lena and I, and it was marvelous, if not for the fact that I HATE HEIGHTS.

"...Are you okay?" Lena whispered as she climbed into the nicely shaded blue cabin that came next. I followed her inside, albeit a little hesitant.

"...Totally. Of course I am. Why would I not be?" I mutter, as I curl up into a comfortable ball, staring at the ground, trying not to focus on the fact that we're going up really high, or that the cabin could possibly fall and crash to the ground at any moment, killing me instantly, or even that for the split second I ahd looked up before I entered the cabin, I saw Arlo jumping around his cabin like a lunatic, with Thane freaking out.

Nope. Not scared at all.

Lena was staring out the window, "...The view from here is pretty."

"Oh, is it? That's nice. Very nice." The ground right beneath my feet would be a much better view, in my opinion.

"Yeah, I feel like I'm on top of the world." Lena's statement made me snort in amusement, given her vertical challenge. "...If I felt like this all the time, would I not be so afraid...?"

"...Mm. Lena." She turned around to face me. I had turned my eyes up to look at her from my panic position.

"...Yes?"

"Tell me more about yourself." Maybe that'll distract me from the panic slowly taking over from the back of my mind, plus the bonus of increasing friendship values.

"...W-what?"

"Well, it'd be nice if I could get to know you better." She started fidgeting with her skirt.

"O-oh, uhm..." Lena turned her head down, her hair covering her face slightly, "...I like the sound eggs make when they're being cracked."

"That's nice. I make eggs almost everyday." I'm only half lying, since Jay makes them for me, and we're practically the same being, so it's ALMOST like I'm the one making them. Either way, I'm the one that eats them, so, whatever!

"My favorite color is pink."

"Mine's green."

"I go to North Cigam High." My mind internally answers with 'And I go to a school full of people that I mostly hate'.

"...Okay. Question for 'ya." She looks up at me expectantly, "If you were trapped on an island, and could only have one thing, what would it be? Not including food, water, or a boat, of course."

She looked back down, and gripped the edge of her skirt, "...A friend... I'd... like a friend to share my troubles with..."

"...You know, that's one of the better answers I've heard."

. . . .

Luckily, I made it through the ferris wheel with no trouble, but NOW Arlo was dragging us to the ROLLER COASTER. FUCK.

"C'mon~! Let's go ride the coaster~ It's super fun!" He sang (horribly off-key, I might add) as he dragged my unwilling body towards the coaster, located right next to the ferris wheel. Despite my protests, and pleading the others to save me, nobody would come to my aid; although, Lena was walking right behind my dragged body.

When we were finally at the damned monstrosity, I was released. Already anticipating my panicky heat flashes, I took off my sweatshirt and hung it on the yellow waiting line bars. As the others got everything all set up, I was standing there, rubbing the back of my neck to keep it cold.

Thane was having issues (as was I), "Are you sure we should ride this thing...? What if it's not safe?"

DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT THANE, WHAT AM I GOING TO DO IF SOMETHING ACTUALLY HAPPENS?!

"What, are you scared?" Spencer smirked at him.

"No! Of course I'm not." Well, Thane, it's pretty obvious that you're scared shitless. You are not very good at lying. The prince is disappointed in you, Thane.

"Well, then isn't it perfect how there are juuust enough seats for the six of us?" Bryce grinned, smacking Thane on the back. Since Bryce is a psychology student, I have a feeling he figured out Thane's fear, and is just taking advantage of the situation. +5 points for Bryce.

"Eee~! This is going to be SO much fun!" Arlo grinned, skipping around while he squeals like an excited little girl going to a candy store. I stared off dazedly, until I realized that the others were calling for me.

"Huh? What?" I blinked, and noticed that all of them were sitting down already. Arlo&Spencer in the back, Bryce&Spencer in the middle, and Lena was sitting all by herself in the front. I assumed that I was supposed to be sitting next to her.

"Get in already! Sheesh!" Spencer groaned, and I begrudgingly got in. I was NOT looking forward to this at all.

. . .

I had slumped as far down as I possibly could within the confines of my seat, trying to calm down my racing pulse. These kinds of "thriller" rides are REALLY not for me. They scare the shit out of me, and this is the only one I've ever ridden in my life. I had managed to skip out on the one my friends had ridden when we came, but these bastards didn't give me a goddamn chance!

I let out a large breath through my teeth, but it sounded more like I was gagging, which I probably was. I closed my eyes, and started rubbing my face to stay awake. If I wasn't careful, I was going to pass out, and if I passed out, would I fly out of this ride? I don't want to take the risk.

"...Kat?" I peeked my right eye open to let Lena know I was paying attention.

"Y-yeah?"

"Do you... think I could become brave like you someday?" Wow, that is a kick in the teeth. Does she not see what I'm doing right now, or is she just making fun of me? Argh.

"What the fucking hell are you talking about? You still going on about that? I'm not brave, I am losing my goddamn mind here, if you hadn't noticed. It'd actually be better if I wasn't scared shitless, and remained as calm as you are." I rubbed my temples to get ride of my terrible, pounding headache; also, I pulled Lena's hat down really snug over my eyes, but it didn't exactly work.

"...I see..." She turned her head down, and muttered, "...I can do it...I won't get over it if I don't face it."

Her tone was incredibly suspicious, so I tilted the hat up just a little bit to get a clear look, and as the coaster came to a stop at the top of the hill, I saw the most shocking thing since coming here.

Lena was standing.

Not INSIDE OF THE RIDE, but STANDING ON THE GODDAMN SEAT, WITH HER ARMS STICKING STRAIGHT OUT!

"Wh-wha- L-LENA!? WHAT ARE YOU-" My sentence was cut off as the coaster went zooming down the hill. As expected, Lena went flying back, but NO WORRIES. SHE DIDN'T DIE. Bryce had managed to just BARELY grab her ankles, holding her upright somehow as we went barrelling down the coaster.

Everyone, except for Lena, that is, who remained cool and levelheaded(?). I, on the other hand, was freaking my shit out. My anxiety was spiking off the charts, and there was no possible away for me to steer clear of the situation, which is my normal medicine for these spells, so I promptly passed out across the seat.

. . .

"Oh, no wonder Kat got stopped screaming, she passed out." I could hear Bryce's loud laughter booming, amplified by my pounding headache. Some asshole started shaking me, and I assume that it was Arlo, since only he is this dumb.

"Kaaat! Kat, wake up!" He whined. Eventually I stopped trying to pretend to sleep, and punched him right in shoulder as hard as I could.

"Will you shut up?! I'm fine! Jesus fucking christ!" I growled, climbing slowly out of the cart. After that, I managed to sit peacefully on the ground, but that made me too dizzy, so I flopped backwards and started rolling on the ground to gain coldness. "IT'S TOO HOT!"

"...Are you okay?" Lena leaned over, blocking my vision of the sun.

I scowled, "Nope. I'm dizzy, and pissed as fucking hell right now."

I manage to get up off the ground, clamped my hands down on her shoulders, and starting shaking her viciously. "DON'T DO THAT! HOLY FUCKING SHIT THAT WAS THE ABSOLUTELY DUMBEST FUCKING THING YOU COULD POSSIBLY DO! PEOPLE DIE FROM THOSE TYPE OF THINGS! YOU NEARLY GAVE ME A FUCKING HEART ATTACK, MY BLOOD PRESSURE RAISED SO HIGH! I WAS TOO NERVOUS IN THE FIRST DAMN PLACE!"

I let go completely, wiped the sweat off my forehead, and waved at the others. "I'm going to go dunk my head in the pool before I die of a heat stroke."

. . .

Argh. Did I go over the boundaries of friendship? I've never known anyone that was actually STUPID enough to try and stand on the roller coaster as it went hurling down the hill at probably 100mph (nevermind the fact that I avoid roller coasters completely).

Stupid stupid stupid!

I flail around angrily in the water, unaware of somebody watching me until they actually walked up to the ridge of the pool, and sat down indian-style.

I look up to stare Bryce right in the eyes. It was an odd, drawn out battle of the two destined rivals of the short and the tall. In reality though, it only managed to last about two minutes until it got to me, and I snapped.

"What?! What do you want from me!? STOP STARING AT ME YOU'RE FREAKING ME THE FUCK OUT!"

"...Oh, nothing." He grinned, and walked away.

What the fuck was that all about?

. . .

Days later, I was sitting in the outdoor part of the café, eating some cake. By now, I had finally been able to calm myself down, and stopped my boiling anger from taking over. Occasionally, my emotions in the heat of the moment can take over, and I'll fuck everything up that way. My family... we don't have the best emotional control.

As I was daydreaming about how fucking stupid I am, the one person I didn't quite want to see yet came walking up, and sat across from me. I started choking on my cake from the surprise of seeing her there when I opened my eyes.

The two of us were incredibly quiet, until Lena broke the silence.

"...Night is a strange time, isn't it?"

Curious, and wanting to move past my own stupidity, I decided to participate. "Oh? How so?"

She squirmed a little, "W-well, it's the time when most people wander about through their dreams... but yet, most dreams are just forgotten anyway."

"...I see your point. I used to dream about how things might go if my 7 year crush came to fruition, but then I realized that I'm really quite a dumbass, so I forced myself to just give it up, since it just wouldn't be happening."

"It's a little strange how so much time is spent on things that become lost in the end, isn't it? But... it's a part of life, I suppose. It's nice to put in a good effort for living... even if we won't last forever. To me... that's what I think the world might be like."

"I suppose your right, but at the same I disagree. You could live with that philosophy, I guess, but that's terribly depressing. You probably wouldn't strive to do shit, because it'd weigh in the back of your mind that you'll eventually die, so what's the point of living? On the other hand, you could enjoy shit while it lasts, and take on challenges and shit like that. For example, you're afraid of looking up at faces, correct?"

"...Yes."

"Well, for now you can feel comfortable looking up at me, but what would you do if I suddenly had a growth spurt? You wouldn't be able to, nor want to, look at me anymore, right?" As unlikely as a growth spurt for me is, at 17.

Lena stared at me, wide-eyed, not showing any other sign of response. I felt like shit just staring at her; that was probably not the right question to ask, nor the correct scenario.

"...Uh, sorry. That was an odd question, wasn't it?"

Lena looked down, gripping her hat that I had left behind when I had stormed off days ago. Her hands were slightly shaking (is she cold or something? Maybe I'll give her my hoodie), "...I'd cry."

"...What?"

"I-If I felt that such discomfort and fear just from looking into the face of the person I liked..." She sniffed, "...I'd be incredibly sad."

What.

What.

What.

Am I hearing correctly?

Do I need to clean my ears?

Did she really just say that?

"If that really happened," Lena continued, "I'd probably pray and wish everyday to become taller, so that I'd be able to look you in the eyes again."

She looked up at my slack-jawed face, peering slightly over the hat that she was now wringing in her hands. "...I like you..."

Seeing that I wasn't really responding, she repeated herself. "I like you, Kat... but... this is a one-sided love, isn't it?"

I WASN'T HEARING THINGS?

THIS IS REAL LIFE?

"..What?" Lena flinched.

"W-well, I'm a... girl. We both are... I never expected myself to be somebody that could fall in love, but... you're different. It's the first time in my life that I've been able to find a person who I like being with... who can make my heart feel like this..."

She took in a short, shaky breath, and continued. "...But it's impossible, isn't it? We can't be together like that. It'd be nicer if I had control of my heart, like you... so that I could stop liking you like this, and we could be together as friends."

"...What the hell are you talking about without asking my own opinion on the matter? Girls don't belong together? Sounds like total bullshit to me. Anyone can be with anyone, no matter the gender, age, or what the fuck ever. Besides, I'm a lesbian, so you're argument is terribly inaccurate." I sighed, "Don't let shit like that get to you, Lena. I do, in fact, like you. It's why I mostly only talk to you, why I steal your hat, and why I'm not nearly as short with you as I am with the others. I quite frankly don't give two shits about what society might think of it, but my feelings are my own, and in my humble, princely opinion, they can go hitch-hiking, get run over, kidnapped, tortured, and be left to bleed to death in a germ-infested prison cell."

She stood up, and walked around to where I was seated, "...Kat?"

"What?"

"Can I have a hug?" I raised an eyebrow at the request. To anyone else, the answer would be fuck no, because I hate hugs most of all. I opened my arms a little, and let her cling. I wasn't exactly enjoying this. Invasion of my personal space is not appreciated, even if I say so, and especially if I don't.

"...Please don't ever leave me." She pleaded quietly.

"What?"

"I'm not brave like you are...I don't think I'd be able to handle it if I ever lost you... because you're important to me." She leaned back, and pressed our lips together, without giving me a chance to respond. Wow, I don't feel llike a creep or anything.

When she pulled back, my face was burning, and I placed my head in my hands, covering my eyes. "...Well, there's no need to fear. The prince here is the bravest there ever was... Ugh, I'm an incredible idiot..."

. . . .

I spent an embarrassing amount of time with Lena over the next week and a half. I say embarrassing, because apparently the reason Bryce had been staring at me over a week ago was because apparently everyone had figured out I was a lesbian, and took great amusement in bugging me. I mean this is the playful way, of course, since it wasn't all that big of a surprise. At the end of that week and a half, Spencer called us all together. Apparently, he had some huge announcement about a breakthrough he had made.

We all gazed at the large amount of writing he had done on a part of the dome, located underneath the roller coaster. There was loads of things scribbled out, like numbers, possible meanings of things, etc.

Apparently, _**When falling damp tree unveils ghost**_ turned into _**giving up all self worth means the end. **_

"Wow, I can't believe it took me this long to figure out something as simple as this." Spencer huffed.

"Props are due where props are due, Spencer. It's pretty nifty that you did all this shit by yourself." I patted him on the shoulder. He should be plenty proud of himself now, because the princely me has praised him!

Thane sighed, "So it was an anagram... but what does it mean?"

Spencer turned around to face the dome, looking over his writings. "...Well, if I'm right, the numbers all represent our values and dignity. The more selfless we become, the lower our number gets, and vice versa."

Despite Spencer's in-depth explanation, Bryce was still confused, "...What?"

Spencer turned around just to glower at him, "Don't 'What?' me! You're into psychology! You should know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"O-oh! You're talking about giving value vs. taking value, right? Giving value makes other people feel better about themselves; giving compliments, gifts, and being friends are an example of such." Suddenly, Bryce took on a more serious tone, "On the other hand, a person with low self-esteem may try to take value from others to make themselves feel better instead. In short: bullying... but in this situation, we don't have much of a choice but to take value sometimes. As you are surely implying, I think that when we take value, we drain it directly from the one who gives it to us?"

Wow, for once Bryce managed to not sound like a total fucking moron. I mean, he's a semi-acceptable friend, but the man has a few screws missing here and there, not to be mean. Speaking of loose screws, where is that somewhat adorable idiot named Arlo?

"Ah, so that's why my number got so low when I bought lunch."

"Are you absolutely sure about this? What if everything's just a coincidence?"

"Well, I see your point, Thane. That shouldn't have been so drastic, I didn't buy that shit with my own cash, and most of the cakes were for myself. I didn't really do it for the sake of others, I was just satisfying myself, and getting some lunch for others on the side. I think Bryce is correct, though, since I did in fact give lunch out for free."

Spencer sighed, "Geez, all this time, I've been trying to figure out the basic concept of our numbers. I was certain that it was interactions that affected them, I just didn't know how. It might have taken me a while to clear everything up, but it was because I wanted to make sure I had everything straightened out. I'm positive now though, because I tested it out on you guys. Whenever I did something for the sake of somebody else, my number lowered... and it would increase when somebody made me feel better about myself."

"Mmm. I've... noticed the pattern too." I fumble with my phone inside my pocket, but not bringing it out.

Bryce, being super friendly guy, continued to be stupid. "So how do we raise our own numbers, but without taking values from other people's?"

"I don't quite think that's entirely possible, Sweater Vest. The values appear to be like energy and matter; they can't be destroyed, nor created. They'll just be forever exchanged between us. I've been keeping track of all our numbers, and they always add up to 100 exactly. If by dropping our numbers to zero lets us leave, then... somebody could very well be stuck here forever."

"But we don't actually know what will happen if our numbers drop to zero, so it's probably best that we don't make hopeful bets on what might happen, until we're absolutely sure. I mean, fuck, one of us could fucking die from that."

Everything went silent because of my bluntness. Wow, Kat, great fucking job. You're a pro at socializing. It was then that I rememembered something I had noticed earlier; where the fuck is Arlo?

"What about Arlo, then? If only the five numbers that belong to us add up to 100, what about him? Does he not take or give value, or something?"

Spencer paused, narrowing his eyes. "...Now that you mention it, I don't recall my number ever changing after interacting with him..."

"And his phone has been missing for an awfully long time..." Thane muttered.

I sighed, ruffling Lena's hair as a stress reliever. I was back to wearing Lena's hat, because I like hats.

"Should I be the one to say it?"

Nobody was able to say anything, because then shit went down, and everything became see-through and went through a complete 180 on the hue-sector. Nauseating shit.

Lena clings a little bit closer, which is really, REALLY embarrassing. The five of us decide to split up to cover more ground, because this shit Arlo's pulling ain't gonna fly.

. . . .

I took a leisurely walk around the park, since I don't really have the athletic ability, nor the energy, to run around like an idiot searching for the little puppy. A bunch of shitty transparent numbers had started falling from the sky, but I noticed that there were none falling by the front entrance, so I quickly sprinted over there. If Arlo was there, I had to hurry, of course, so that I could catch him before he tried to get away or something.

"ARLO!" Said boy swiveled around in panic, clearly shaken. Probably not helped by the fact that it was me that found him, instead of, uh, Bryce, I guess. "This shit was you, right?"

He complexion paled, and his hands started to shake lightly. "...I-I'm sorry! I'm really sorry about all this...!"

"Well, what happened?"

"U-um, my heart is just... a tad bit unstable. Just a little bit. B-but don't worry! Just give me a little bit to heal. You guys are safe here, I won't let anything happen to you guys. You're my first friends..." Arlo sniffed, "Well... I was sort of hoping that you guys wouldn't have to find out like this, but... I don't... I don't know what I should do. Kat, what should I do?"

"Stop your whining, and telling the truth is a good start. Let's start with that, and work our way up from there."

"...You're right."

"Damn right I'm right, I'm always right."

. . . .

It turned out that we did not need to exert any physical energy to gather everyone after all, because they all just eventually made their way to the front entrance. Getting everyone to start talking, however, was on an entirely different level of difficulty.

Being the prince that I am, I took the initiative, "Arlo, what the hell do these numbers mean?"

He gave us a sad smile, "...They're happy points. You give them to someone when you make them happy, and you get points when you are made happy by someone else. Some people give more than they take..." He gestures towards me because I'm the fucking best, of course, "...others take more than they give..." He looked in Thane's direction. Ouch, burn. "However, I think that the best relationships are when people both give and take. I wanted to be sure that you guys would all get along... so that's why I assigned you guys those numbers."

"So, if you're from here, than what are you?" I tilted my head, in confusion. Surely somebody that's a native of this place can't be human, right?

"I'm... a hamadryad." I narrowed my eyes in confusion. I had absolutely no idea what the hell a hamadryad was. Of course, if you don't know, you've gotta ask.

"What's a hamadryad?" Arlo smiled at me.

"A hamadryad is like a spirit that lives within a tree, and when the tree dies, so will the spirit. I'm the spirit of the large tree in the center of the amusement park."

"A real one?" Lena was rather amazed, as well as Bryce, who was pretty stoked.

"S-sorry guys... it's all my fault..." Arlo sniffed, "...that you guys are all stuck here... This is my 'home'. I based it off the real amusement park... but I was lonely. I wanted to have a real friend..." He sniffed again, "Th-thank you guys... this has been the most fun I've ever had. I-I...I..." Arlo burst into tears, "I-I love you guys! B-but now, you all h-hate me, because I lied. I'm a liar! All the f-fun we had together made me really happy... but it was all built on th-the lies I told. I-I'm terrible! Horrible, even!" By now, he was just creating a flood of tears. I was starting to become worried that I was going to drown from this shit, and I had to fix it, quick.

"Arlo, I don't hate you." Spencer quickly follows right after me, how nice.

"I am pissed!" Well, that's... less nice.

"Spencer, what the hell!?" I glared at him.

"No, let me finish! I'm pissed! We're been trapped here for, what? Two weeks?" He grumbles, getting even more heated up, but then he slumped, relaxed and calm. "...Arlo, if you had just explained to us that you wanted to be friends with us, I would have stayed. This whole ordeal is pretty shitty... but I would have willingly stayed. You didn't really need to resort to a giant glass dome and crazy numbers. Real friends can, and should, trust each other."

"O-oh... I'm sorry, Spencer... you're right."

Thane gave a deeper sigh than usual, "But... real friends also forgive each other."

Bryce grinned, "Yep~ Be more honest with us, and we should have no problems in the future."

"Well, now everything has all been dealt with."

Arlo grinned, and tears streaming down his face (ARLO STOP BEING A BABY). "Th-Thank you..."

There was a flash of bright white light, and then everything returned to normal... or, at least as normal as a parellel world of an amusement park can be.

"...When your happy points drop to zero, you'll be able to go home, so... you can all leave if you want."

"W-wait. Won't somebody be left behind with all 100?" Isn't the answer obvious by now, Spencer? Sheesh.

"Oh, don't worry. I'll send the person left behind back home, safe and sound!" Just as expected of Arlo, the superhero pup.

"Heh... all 100 happy points, huh? That person sure would feel special!" Bryce grinned at Arlo, who managed to give him a weak copy.

"You're right, but there's an even better side to the happy point system! Even when you give away your happy points, you'll still feel happy!" Arlo sighed, "Again, sorry. If you guy will ever come visit me ever again, I promise I won't use the happy points system anymore. It's just that I was afraid that nobody would try and get along if I didn't use it, but I realize that's wrong now. Incentives weren't needed after all."

Arlo looks down at me, and pulls me into a hug, planting a large kiss right on the top of my/Lena's hat. After that, he quickly pulls away and takes a few precautionary steps backwards.

"...What the fucking hell, Arlo? That's like, level two Kat harrassment. I'm going to have you hanged." I spoke in a clear, level voice to add to the threat. It always works with Jay, so it should work for me, given that we have the same physical features.

"Well, you got a special kiss because you're the one who found me first, and even helped me choose the right path!" Arlo paused, and looked over at the others, who instinctively took a step backwards. "...But you guys also searched for me, and helped cheer me up as well... so, maybe I should give ALL of you special kisses?!"

Everyone got the fuck out of there in record time. I dragged Lena to the café, since now was the time to talk about shit.

Serious shit.

. . . .

I collapsed into a chair, letting out a deep breath that I had been holding for god knows how long.

"That was so frustrating! At least we'll be able to go home at last." I sighed, and pulled out Jay's my phone, "Anyway, I didn't just drag you here for a little chat. I'm in a bit of a fucking problem."

"What is it?" Lena tilted her head. I placed Jay's my phone into her hands, pointing at the screen.

Displayed on it (besides the stupid Yuri Lowell), was a big, heartwrenching 1. She stared at it with wide eyes, slowly processing what was in front of her. When it finally seemed to get through her head what was happening, she looked back up at me.

"Wha... Y-you're number..."

"Yeah. It's been like that since yesterday, so it's actually a good thing that I found out what was going to happen when my number dropped to zero before it happened. At least we know I'm not going to die or some bullshit like that." I pause, "Say, Lena?"

She looked up at me, "Yeah?"

"When you get back, I'll be sitting riiight here."

"..What?"

"Right here. In this seat. With this hat." I flick the visor of her hat, so that it flipped up a little, just to emphasize my point.

"...Y-you mean that... you're willing to make room in your life for me?"

"The hell gave you the impression that I have a life? But, yes, I would like it if you'd accompany me in the real world." I grinned, and took off my sweatshirt, tossing it to her.

"Here, keep it until you get back to me. Just so you know this shit's real, 'kay?" The lower half of my body started to glow and turn transparent. "Oh, it looks like I'm leaving now. Remember, I'm going to be right here, waiting. Don't make me wait too long though, I hate waiting the most."

. . .

I was sitting in the café of the amusement park with Jay, eating cake like we normally do. It had been a few days since I got back, and Jay still hadn't let me off the hook for disappearing, the stupid asshole. I'm relieved that she finally allowed me to come back here though. I hope Lena didn't return beforehand, 'cuz what if she thinks that I'm a goddamn liar now?

After like, an hour or two of cake eating, we're interrupted by somebody pulling a chair up to our table, right between Jay and I. I look up to scream at them to leave, but drop my cake onto the ground instead.

"L-Lena?!" She smiles timidly, scooting closer to me, and farther from Jay.

"H-hi. I didn't think I'd really find you here... I thought it wasn't real."

"If it's because you came any other day, it's all Jay's fault. Jay's such an asshole." I flicked a handful of water at Jay, who then got up and left.

"What happened to her...?" Lena looked at me questioningly. I shrugged.

"I don't know. She has problems sometimes. I don't know what the hell she's doing though, because we were going to go watch a movie. Well, now I have an extra ticket... Wanna come?"

Lena smiled, and the two of us walked hand in hand over towards the cinema, "Of course."

* * *

**It's really awkward and embarrassing for me to write anything about myself. **

**Arrrrggggh!**

**Sadly, Arlo's will be a tad bit more difficult than all the others, so it has to be moved to summer vacation. Sorry guys, but it'll be worth it (I plan, anyway.)! Maybe I'll be able to get parts of it done here and there, 'cuz we've got plenty of holidays.**

**NOW, I WILL SLEEP IN A COMA FOR THE NEXT 12 HOURS.**


End file.
